Archived: TLC - Domicillary Care Agency

Updated 22 August 2017

Start this section with the following sentence:

'We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.'

Say when the inspection took place and be very clear about whether the inspection was announced or unannounced, for example by saying:

‘This inspection took place on [date] and was unannounced.’

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

The inspection of TLC Domiciliary Care Agency took place on 6 July 2017 and the provider was given a few days’ notice of the inspection in accordance with our current methodology for the inspection of domiciliary care agencies. One inspector undertook the inspection.

We reviewed the Provider Information Record (PIR) and previous inspection reports before the inspection. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and the improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed the information we held about the service and notifications of incidents we had received. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law.

During the inspection we went to the service’s office and spoke with the registered manager, the deputy manager and health and safety officer. We spoke with two care workers. We looked at three records relating to the care of individuals, four staff files, staff duty rosters, staff training records and records relating to the running of the service.

We visited three people in their own homes. After the visit to the service’s office we spoke with three people, two relative and four care workers.

Updated 22 August 2017

TLC (Tender Loving Care) Domiciliary Care Agency is a community service that provides care and support to adults of all ages, in their own homes. The service provides help with people’s personal care needs in St Columb and surrounding areas. This includes people with physical disabilities and dementia care needs. The service mainly provides personal care for people in short visits at key times of the day to help people get up in the morning, go to bed at night and support with meals.

At the time of our inspection 29 people were receiving a personal care service. These services were funded either privately or through Cornwall Council.

We carried out this announced inspection on 6 July 2017. The inspection was announced a few days advance in accordance with the Care Quality Commission’s current procedures for inspecting domiciliary care services. At the last inspection, in April 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

We visited some people in their homes, and spoke to some people and their relatives by phone to gain their views on the service. People told us they felt safe using the service. Relatives also said they thought the service was safe. Comments included, “I am very pleased with the service”, “Excellent service” and “I haven’t had any cause to complain.”

Staff treated people respectfully and asked people how they wanted their care and support to be provided. People and their relatives spoke positively about staff, commenting, “They are wonderful”, “The staff always have a smile and leave me with a smile”, “The carers are so helpful, kind, attentive”, “They are all excellent” and “I’d be lost without their support, they help me so that I can live in my own home.”

People had a team of regular, reliable staff, they had agreed the times of their visits and were kept informed of any changes. No one reported ever having had any missed visits. People told us, “Staff always turn up”, “If staff are running late they ring and let us know” and “I know all the carers.”

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they cared for and knew how to recognise if people’s needs changed. Staff were aware of people’s preferences and interests, as well as their health and support needs, which enabled them to provide a personalised service. Staff were appropriately trained to support people with their medicines when this was needed.

People had a care plan that provided staff with direction and guidance about how to meet people’s individual needs and wishes. These care plans were regularly reviewed and any changes in people’s needs were communicated to staff. Assessments were carried out to identify any risks to the person using the service and to the staff supporting them. This included any environmental risks in people’s homes and any risks in relation to the care and support needs of the person.

Staff were recruited safely, which meant they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All were clear about how to report any concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to help ensure people were protected. Staff received appropriate training and supervision. New staff received an induction, which incorporated the care certificate. There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff available to meet the needs of people who used the service.

The service was acting within the legal framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005(MCA). Management and staff understood how to ensure people who did not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves had their legal rights protected.

There was a positive culture within the staff team and staff spoke passionately about their work. Staff were complimentary about the management team and how they were supported to carry out their work. The registered and deputy managers were clearly committed to providing a good service for people. Comments from staff included, “It’s a lovely company to work for. The managers are very approachable,” “It’s like a small family unit” and “ I love working for TLC and have recommended it as a place to work.”

People and relatives all described the management of the service as open and approachable. Comments from people included, “The service is well managed”, [Manager’s name] is very good” and “Excellent organisation; I can’t think of any area that they could do better.”

There were effective quality assurance systems in place to help ensure any areas for improvement were identified and action taken to continuously improve the quality of the service provided. People told us they were regularly asked for their views about the quality of the service they received. People had details of how to raise a complaint and told us they would be happy to make a complaint if they needed to.