We inspected this service on 12 July 2017. The inspection was announced. The provider was given two working days’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the locations office to see us.

Age UK Maidstone, provides two personal care services: a bathing service and a foot care service. The bathing service is provided for people within their own homes. The foot care service is provided for people in their own home or in a clinic, one of which is at the registered office in Maidstone town centre. Age UK Maidstone is a charity that provides a range of services for older people in the Maidstone area. At the time of our inspection 30 people were using the bathing service and 420 people were using the foot care service.

Age UK Maidstone offered people additional services such as a befriending service, wheelchair hire and travel vouchers. The registered manager organised social groups within the local community.

At the time of our inspection, there was a registered manager in place. 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 feedback we received from people using both services was consistently positive. Those people that used the bathing service expressed great satisfaction of the service being provided and spoke very highly of the staff supporting them. People said both services were responsive to their needs and provided a much needed service within the community. People’s privacy was respected and maintained by staff who understood the importance of maintaining people’s dignity.

The safety of people using the service was taken seriously by the registered manager and staff who understood their responsibility to protect people from the risk of harm. People felt safe with the staff that supported them. Information was available to inform staff to whom and where to report any concerns they had. Recruitment practices were safe and checks were carried out to make sure staff were suitable to work with people who needed care and support.

Risks to people using the service had been identified and managed. Potential risks to staff when visiting people’s homes had been assessed and control measures put in place. People who worked within the registered office followed assessments to minimise potential risks to them.

Staff received the training they required to meet people’s needs. Staff were supported in their role by the registered manager. Recruitment practices were safe and checks were carried out to make sure staff were suitable to work with people who needed care and support.

Information was available to people regarding how to make a complaint about the service they received. People knew what to do if they were unhappy and knew who to contact at the registered office. People’s feedback was actively sought and acted on to improve the quality of the service being provided.

We inspected this service on 24 and 27 June 2016. The inspection was announced. The provider was given two working days’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the locations office to see us.

Age UK Maidstone, provides two personal care services; a bathing service and a foot care service. The bathing service is provided for people in their own homes. The foot care service is provided for people in their own home or in a clinic, one of which is at the agency office in Maidstone town centre. Age UK Maidstone is a charity that provides a range of services for older people in the Maidstone area. At the time of our inspection approximately 80 people were using the bathing service and approximately 340 people were using the foot care service.

The service did not have a registered manager in place. 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 previous registered manager had left in January 2016. A manager had been appointed and was in post, however they had not applied to become the registered manager.

People’s needs and wishes were assessed and planned with them in relation to which service they received. Regular reviews of people’s requirements relating to the foot care service had been completed. However regular reviews of people’s care and support needs who used the bathing service had not been completed. We have made a recommendation about this.

People felt safe with the staff that supported them. Processes were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. Staff knew their responsibilities in safeguarding vulnerable people from abuse. Information was available to inform staff to whom and where to report any concerns they had. Staff were confident that any concerns they raised would be taken seriously by the provider.

Risks to people using the service had been identified and managed. Potential risks to staff when visiting people’s homes had been assessed and control measures put in place. People’s safety when lone working in people’s houses had been recorded with a policy and procedure in place for staff to follow. People who worked within the registered office followed assessments to minimise potential risks to them. However, the fire risk assessment for the building was overdue for review. We have made a recommendation about this.

Staff received the training and support they required to fulfil their role. Their personal development needs were identified and supported within an annual appraisal system. Recruitment procedures had not followed the information required under schedule 3 of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. We have made a recommendation about this.

People were complimentary about the staff saying they were kind and caring. People’s privacy was respected and maintained by staff who understood the importance of maintaining people’s dignity. Staff understood their responsibilities in maintaining and upholding confidentiality. Records were stored securely and only available to those who were able to access them.

Information was available to people regarding how to make a complaint about the service they received. People knew what to do if they were unhappy and knew who to contact at the registered office. People’s views regarding the service they received were not actively sought or acted upon to improve or make changes. We have made a recommendation about this.

The purpose of this inspection was to assess whether the agency had records in place that were fit for purpose. Therefore, during our visit to the agency office, we looked at records and spoke to the agency manager, but did not talk with people who used the service.

We found that records were in place which detailed how people's needs were assessed and a plan of care was in place to guide staff on how to support people. We saw that these records had been regulalry reviewed to ensure that they were kept up to date.

People were very complimentary about the bathing service and the foot care service that were provided by Age UK Maidstone. People that we spoke to said that they would recommend the service to other people. Comments included, “She is kind and gentle and we have a chat and a laugh. She puts you at ease”; “I was a bit apprehensive before hand, but she put me at ease and is very calm”; “I couldn’t do without it”, and “She has never let me down. She rings if she is going to be late or can’t come. I would recommend the service to anyone”.

People told us that staff treated them with dignity and respect. Staff gave examples of when they had referred people to other appropriate services such as the district nurse, advocacy service and help with dealing with their benefits. This meant that staff had listened to and acted upon the needs of the people that they supported.

Staff knew the procedures to follow to make sure that instruments used in the foot care clinics were clean and safe to use.

The service had effective systems in place to ensure that it recruited staff that were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

The agency had a number of systems in place to make sure that the service assessed and monitored its delivery of care. However, not all care records were kept up to date or available in the office so that everyone had access to them.