This inspection took place on 25 October and 2 November 2016. We gave the provider a short amount of notice on the first day as we wanted to make sure that somebody would be available when we visited. The second day was by arrangement.

Apollo Care West Wirral provide personal care for 31people living in their own homes in the geographical area of West Wirral. On the first day we visited the organisation’s office; on the second day we visited five people in their homes who were happy to speak with us about the care they received.

The organisations required and 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 told us they felt the service they received was safe. Staff members wore a uniform, carried identification and people were sent a weekly rota to identify which staff member was coming. When we visited people we saw that the staff rota was close to hand. People told us that apart from occasional times, the support they received was from familiar staff and that this was important to them.

We found that there were adequate staff to meet people’s care needs. People told us that they received their calls at the right time and that staff stayed for the full time as outlined in their care plan and rota. One person told us that they appreciated that the staff “Had enough time for a chat”. Another person told us, “They are observant and if they spot something that needs doing they ask if I want them to do it”.

New staff had been safely recruited, with robust checks made of people’s skills, knowledge and background. We saw records of and staff told us they received a thorough induction which included a week of training, a period of shadowing an experienced member of staff, three months of monthly supervision, ‘spot check’ observations and staff team meetings. Staff we spoke with praised the training they received. One staff member told us, “The induction was really useful, it refreshed my skills and gave me confidence in the role”.

All staff we spoke with were knowledgeable with regard to safeguarding vulnerable adults. They were aware of the different types of abuse and possible signs to look out for. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to report this within the organisation and if necessary to outside organisations.

We saw that appropriate risk assessments were in place for different aspect of people’s care. There was also a record of any accidents, incidents or near misses. The record of incidents was detailed and we saw examples of when incidents had been learnt from and actions that had been taken to keep people safe.

People told us they felt well cared for and the approach of staff and the service was caring. People’s feedback about their care was without exception positive. One person told us, “They are so nice; I’d recommend them to anyone”. People told us of times when they thought the support they received went above and beyond in their care and how they found this reassuring.

We saw that people were treated with dignity and respect and staff had been trained in the application of the Mental Capacity Act. People’s consent to care was sought when it was planned with the person, during regular reviews and on a day to day basis in making decisions.

People’s care plans were clear, up to date and reflected the care people received and had agreed to. We saw that there was an initial review of a person’s wishes and care needs and this had been regularly reviewed by a senior member of staff once a person’s care had started. Care plans recorded people’s preferences with regard to how they wished their personal care to take place. The care plans recorded any small details when they were important