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Updated 13 December 2018

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 took place on 08 November 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service for younger adults who are often out during the day; we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This form asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information we held about the service and looked at the notifications they had sent us. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

We spoke with nine people and the relative of one person who received support from the service. We spoke with the registered manager, who is also the registered provider. We also spoke the deputy manager and eight care workers. We also spoke to one health care professional by telephone. We looked at the care records of five people who received support from the service, three staff files, incident and accident recordings and review records.

Updated 13 December 2018

This inspection was announced and took place on 08 November 2018. We gave the provider 48 hours’ of our intention to undertake the inspection, this was because the service provides domiciliary care to people in their own homes and we needed to make sure someone would be available at the office. This is the first inspection of this service since it registered with CQC in September 2017. At the time of our inspection 30 people received care and support services.

There was a registered manager in place who is also the registered provider. 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.

People told us that they received care from regular staff who generally arrived on time and stayed for the agreed length of time. However, we found the scheduling of calls needed to be improved to give appropriate travelling time between calls especially for those staff who walked or used public transport between calls. We found some call schedules had been planned with no travel time given between calls.

People were supported by staff who had received training in how to recognise possible signs of abuse and how to report any concerns. Staff were aware of their responsibilities in this area and what actions they should take.

Staff received appropriate induction training and on-going training to meet the needs of the people they supported. Where people required support with their medicines, staff had received training on recording when medicine was promoted as part of their induction training.

People were given choices and their wishes were respected by staff. Staff understood they could only care for and support people who consented to being cared for. People told us staff responded when they were unwell and would arrange health appointments on their behalf if they asked.

People told us that the liked the staff who supported them, who they described as caring. People had developed good relationships with their regular staff and staff enjoyed their roles and spoke warmly of the people they cared for.

Staff were knowledgeable about people’s care needs and their preferences and people told us they could talk to staff if they had any concerns or complaints.

People spoke positively about the care provided by individual staff but felt that management of the service could be improved in some areas, for example, the scheduling of call times. The provider had checks in place, but these had not been robust enough in ensuring all area for improvement were identified and action taken in response.

The management team worked with other agencies to support the well-being of the people receiving care and support.