This inspection was announced and took place on 10 and 12 May 2017. This was the first inspection for this provider.

Access Your Care is a combination of services. These are Response 24, which provides an emergency care response service for pendant activations and/or alarm raising equipment managed by local and national call centres/companies. We inspected this aspect of the service because they provide people with personal care. The Response 24 service also provided up to six weeks of care in people’s own homes. At the time of our inspection, there were 72 people using this service. We inspected this aspect of the service because they also provide people with personal care. In addition to personal care, Access Your Care provided a range of other services to people that we do not inspect.

There is 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.

People and relatives consistently told us the responsive service they received when they needed urgent assistance was excellent. Comments included, “The care and support Response 24 have provided for my grandfather is outstanding. They are compassionate and caring. Fantastic Agency!” Another family said, “Without a doubt, because of the care we received we have avoided having to call on the ambulance service for falls and probably a long wait in A and E as a result. The staff at Response 24 are superb.”

People gave 100% positive feedback and said, “Once the staff arrived I felt safe and cared for” and “I am truly thankful to your service and my deepest thanks to you all”. Records showed Response 24 had reduced the number of calls people needed to make because they involved other professionals in ensuring the care people received met their needs.

Feedback from people and relatives consistently showed they felt the staff had gone above and beyond what was expected of them. People gave examples of when staff had stayed with them to comfort them in times of distress. Family members said the end of life care their relatives received had enabled them to remain at home and the care had been excellent. People and their relatives gave several examples of when they felt they had been encouraged and supported to achieve independence such as not needing the service any longer, or requiring less support from staff.

The service had developed close working relationships with other healthcare professionals, which meant ideas and opinions had been shared. A local authority review recognised the service as ‘a critical, integral supportive service’.

People and relatives told us people were kept safe and free from harm. There were appropriate numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs.

There were suitable recruitment procedures and required employment checks were undertaken before staff began to work for the service. Staffing levels and skill mix were planned, implemented and reviewed to keep people safe at all times. Any staff shortages were covered because the service had staff on call.

The staff understood their role in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People were given choices in all aspects of their care.

Systems, processes and standard operating procedures around medicines were reliable and appropriate to keep people safe. Monitoring the safety of these systems were robust.

Assessments were undertaken to assess any risks to the person using the service and to the staff supporting them. People and t