This announced inspection took place on 18 January 2018. This was the first inspection of this service which was registered with the Care Quality Commission in November 2015.

Abantu Care Services is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to older people. At the time of our inspection 17 people were receiving personal care and support from this service.

At this inspection we found a breach of regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 in relation to safe care and treatment, person centred care and good governance. This was because the service did not have risk assessments and support plans in place for four people using the service.

Appropriate safeguarding procedures were in place and staff knew how to safeguard people they supported and were aware of how to raise any concerns. Medicine records were completed and showed that people received their medicines as prescribed. Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work. There were enough staff to meet people's care and support needs.

Staff completed an induction when they started work and had completed appropriate training. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals. The registered manager and staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were asked for their consent before staff provided care. People were supported to have a balanced diet. People had access to a range of healthcare professionals when required.

People said they felt cared for and people’s privacy and dignity was respected. Staff encouraged people to be independent whenever possible. People were provided with information about the service in the form of a service user guide.

People’s needs were assessed prior to them joining the service to ensure the service provided was person-centred and could meet their needs. Support plans were in place for most people and provided clear guidance for staff on how to support people in line with their individual needs. People were aware of the complaints procedure and knew how to make a complaint.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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 service had processes in place to monitor the quality of the service. However, it had failed to recognise that four people did not have support plans and risk assessments in place to ensure their needs were appropriately met. The provider carried out regular staff spot and competency checks to make sure people were being supported in line with their care plans. There was an out of hours on call system in place to support staff when they needed it. Feedback was sought from people about the service, through telephone surveys. Staff were complimentary about the service and said that they enjoyed working for the service.