Your Life (Tunbridge Wells)

Updated 9 May 2019

The inspection:

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

Inspection team:

The inspection team consisted of one inspector.

Service and service type:

This service provides care (and support) to people living in specialist ‘extra care’ housing. Extra care housing is purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site or building. The accommodation is bought and is the occupant’s own home. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The Care Quality Commission does not regulate premises used for extra care housing; this inspection looked at people’s personal care [and support] service.

Not everyone using Your Life (Tunbridge Wells) receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

The service had a manager registered with CQC. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection:

We gave the service one-day notice of the inspection visit to ensure the manager was available to speak with.

What we did:

We reviewed information we had received about the service, including details about incidents the provider must notify us about. The registered manager had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). Providers are required to send us key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

During inspection we looked at the following:

• The environment

• We spoke with two people using the service and one relative.

• We spoke with two members of staff and the registered manager.

• Care records

• Medicines records

• Records of accidents and incidents

• Audits and quality assurance reports

• Four staff recruitment files

• Staff training records

• Rotas

• Health and safety information

Following this inspection, the registered manager provided us with additional information we requested around ‘as required’ medicines protocols and accident tracking.

Updated 9 May 2019

About the service: Your Life (Tunbridge Wells) is an independent living service for people aged 70 and over. People using the service lived in one or two-bedroom apartments in a large retirement living development. Staff were available 24 hours a day to provide domestic assistance and support such as cleaning, preparing meals, supporting people to mobilise and maintain their health. Personal care was also provided to three people to enable them to remain living independently.

People’s experience of using this service:

• The service offered people who could buy a retirement apartment an alternative to moving to a residential care home as there was always care and support available, on site facilities such as a restaurant and facilitated activities.

• People were funding their care privately and therefore had complete control around how much care and support they received. The service was able to be flexible with the amount of care provided and responded to people’s immediate needs as there were always staff on site.

• One person told us how happy they were with the service; how lucky they felt and how it was very well run. They described how at first, they thought, ‘What have I done’ as it was a big move to make (as they had sold their home and brought this retirement apartment) but that they felt very at home now.

• One relative described how they felt they had, ’Landed on their feet’ with finding this service for their loved one.

• People were empowered to make choices and have control over the care and support they received. They were enabled to remain independent and in their own home, knowing they were safe as support was always available if needed.

• People were supported by a caring and competent staff team who knew them well, who in turn were supported by an effective and well-respected registered manager.

• The home met the characteristics of Good in all areas.

Rating at last inspection: This is the first inspection since the service was registered.

Why we inspected: This was a comprehensive planned inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor this home and plan to inspect in line with our reinspection schedule for those services rated Good.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk