We carried out this announced inspection between 26 and 28 July 2017.

The service was registered in August 2015. This was our first inspection of the service since it was registered.

YourLife (Kendal) provides personal care to adults living in Kendal, Cumbria. At the time of our inspection the service was only supporting people who lived in Wainwright Court, a purpose built retirement complex in a residential area of Kendal. Staff are based and managed from within the retirement complex. People live in their own apartments in the complex and can purchase personal care from the on-site service if they wish. At the time of the inspection three people received personal care from the service.

The retirement complex also has communal areas including a lounge, restaurant and garden.

There was a registered manager employed to run the service. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The registered manager for the personal care service was also responsible for managing the retirement complex. The personal care provided by the service is regulated by the Care Quality Commission, (CQC), the accommodation and other services are not.

There were enough staff to provide the support people required. People who used the service liked the staff who visited their homes. The staff treated people in a kind and caring way.

People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risks to people’s safety had been identified and managed.

The staff had received appropriate training to ensure they had the skills to provide people’s support. When people had more complex needs, or required equipment to be used to support them, the staff received training to ensure they could provide individuals’ support safely.

Care was planned and provided to meet people’s needs. People agreed to the care they received and their rights were respected. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and the staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The model of care focused on supporting people to maintain their independence. At the time of our inspection there was no one who routinely required assistance to access health care services, enjoy their meals or to take their medicines.

The service was responsive to people’s needs and wishes. People could request changes to the support they received and the registered manager responded to their requests promptly.

The registered manager used formal and informal methods to gather people’s views about the service provided. She carried out checks on the service to ensure people received a good quality of care.

The registered manager was supported by a team of duty managers. People knew the members of the management team and were confident approaching them as they required. There were appropriate arrangements in place to ensure the effective management of the service.

The registered provider had a procedure for receiving and responding to complaints about the service. At the time of our inspection no complaints had been received about the care provided.