We inspected Admirals Care on 8 February 2017. The inspection visit was announced two days before we visited so we could be sure the manager was available to speak with us. This was the first time the service had been inspected.

Admirals Care is registered to provide personal care and support to people living in their own homes. There were eight people using the service at the time of our inspection visit. Of the eight people who used the service, only five people received personal care. The other three people received support with domestic tasks. The service offered support to people dependant on their specific needs, some people received one call a day; other people received four calls each day.

A requirement of the provider’s registration is that they have a registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection visit who was also the provider and the only member of staff. We refer to the registered manager as the manager in the body of this report.

The manager had received training in safeguarding adults and understood the correct procedure to follow if they had any concerns about people’s safety. All necessary checks were in place to ensure any newly recruited staff were safe to work with people. The manager identified risks to people who used the service and took action to manage identified risks and keep people safe.

Although the manager worked alone, there was enough time for them to care for people safely and effectively. People were supported by someone who knew them well. There were contingency plans in place to ensure people continued to receive their care, if the manager was absent from work.

The manager planned induction procedures for all new staff, which adhered to recommended guidance on induction and training for staff working in the care sector. The manager planned and attended training to keep their skills up to date.

People’s care was planned with them and with the support of their relatives. This helped to ensure care matched people’s individual needs, abilities and wishes.

The manager understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to ensure people were looked after in a way that did not inappropriately restrict their choices and freedom.

People described the manager as being caring and kind. They respected people’s decisions to make their own choices and supported people to maintain their independence.

People were supported with their health needs and had access to a range of healthcare professionals where a need was identified. There were systems in place to administer medicines safely. People were supported to prepare food that took account of their preferences and nutritional needs.

People knew how to make a complaint if they needed to. Quality assurance procedures were being developed to ensure the quality of the service was maintained. There were plans and procedures in place to ensure any accidents or incidents were recorded and investigated, so that actions could be taken to minimise the risks of a re-occurrence.