This announced inspection took place over two days on 20 and 21 December 2016. At the time of our inspection there were 14 people receiving personal care.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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 provider was also the registered manager; they were closely involved in the day to day running of the service and routinely monitored people’s care. This meant that they were able to address any concerns regarding the quality of the service provided as they arose.

The provider had values and a clear vision that was person centred and focussed on enabling people to live at home. All staff demonstrated a commitment to providing a service for people that met their individual needs. People had positive relationships with staff.

Recruitment procedures protected people from receiving unsafe care from support staff that were unsuitable to work at the service. People received care from staff that had the appropriate skills and knowledge to meet their needs. All staff had undergone a comprehensive induction and thorough practical and theoretical training. Staff received updates to their training and regular supervisions. Staff were clear about their roles and responsibilities in caring for people and received regular support from the provider.

There were systems in place to manage medicines safely and people had specific risk assessments and care plans relating to the provision of their medicines.

People were protected from harm arising from poor practice or abuse; there were clear safeguarding procedures in place for care staff to follow if they were concerned about people’s safety. Staff understood the need to protect people from harm and knew what action they should take if they had any concerns.

People were actively involved in decisions about their care and support needs as much as they were able. Staff were aware of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA2005) and applied their knowledge appropriately. There was a Mental Capacity policy and procedure for staff to follow to assess whether people had the capacity to make decisions for themselves.

Care records contained individual risk assessments and risk management plans to protect people from identified risks and help to keep them safe. They provided information to staff about action to be taken to minimise any risks whilst allowing people to be as independent as possible.

Care plans were written in a person centred approach and detailed how people wished to be supported and where possible people were involved in making decisions about their care. People participated in a wide range of activities and received the support they needed to help them do this. People were able to choose where they spent their time and what they did.

Staff were aware of the importance of managing complaints promptly and in line with the provider’s policy. Staff and people were confident that issues would be addressed and that any concerns they had would be listened to.