Angels Care Agency is located in Romsey and is a domiciliary care service providing live in care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection care was provided to five people living in the community.

Each person was supported by a ‘live in’ carer who provided care and support throughout the day and when necessary the night.

The inspection took place on the 28 and 29 November 2016 and was announced.

The service had 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People being supported by Angels Care Agency were living with dementia and were unable to communicate effectively with us.

Relatives of people told us the service was safe and they were confident in the staff that provided care and support to people.

People were safe because staff understood their role and responsibilities to keep them safe from harm.

Staff had a good knowledge of the provider’s whistleblowing policy and procedures which meant they were able to raise concerns to protect people from unsafe care.

Recruitment processes were robust to make sure people were cared for by suitable staff.

People were supported by staff who received regular training, support and supervision to help them provide effective care.

Staff understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and their responsibilities to ensure that people who were unable to make their own decisions about their care and support were protected.

People and relatives had good relationships with the staff and were treated with dignity and respect.

There were systems in place to monitor the care provided and people’s views and opinions were sought regularly.

Angels Care Agency provides domiciliary care services to people who live in their own homes. At the time of our visit we were informed that there were four people using their service which provides live in care.

During our visit to the Angels Care Agency office we looked at records which included care files of people who use the service, personal files of employees and information the provider used to assess and monitor the quality of the service. We visited the home of one person and spoke with two relatives on the telephone. We also spoke with four members of staff including the registered manager and nominated individual. During the home visit we were able to observe how staff interacted with people. We saw staff treat people in a sensitive, respectful and professional manner.

One person told us that the staff were “very good”. A relative told us that having live in care “worked extremely well” and that the staff were very good, and treated their relative with dignity and respect. Another told us that they were extremely happy and that their relative was well looked after. Both the relatives told us that they had been using the services of Angels Care Agency for several years.

We saw that care plans were person centred and people's care needs were reviewed on a six monthly basis. We found that Angels Care Agency had processes in place to monitor the quality of the service.

People expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care. People told us that they were treated with courtesy and that their privacy was respected. We observed staff interacting with people in a calm and respectful way. One person said "I am listened to."

People’s needs were assessed planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. People spoke positively about the care they received. One person said "I don't think anything could be better." A relative we spoke with said "The staff do everything they can."

Staff told us that they felt confident that any concern they had would be listened to and acted upon by management. They said that if a concern was not taken seriously they would contact social services and the Care Quality Commission.

We saw records showing that staff had completed an appropriate range of training. For example, moving and handling, safeguarding of vulnerable adults, communication, prevention of pressure sores and Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Staff we spoke with told us that the training was useful.

People who use the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted on. We spoke with one relative who told us that they had regularly been invited to attend meetings to help improve the service. One person we spoke with said "I don't think anything could be better."