Averlea Domiciliary Care is a community service that provides care and support to adults of all ages, in their own homes. The service provides help with people’s personal care needs in St Austell and surrounding areas. This includes people with physical disabilities and dementia care needs. The service mainly provides personal care for people in short visits at key times of the day to help people get up in the morning, go to bed at night and support with meals. At the time of our inspection 29 people were receiving a personal care service. These services were funded either privately or through Cornwall Council.

We carried out this announced inspection on 6 and 7 September 2017. We announced this inspection in line with our methodology for inspecting domiciliary care services. At the last inspection, in August 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People, and their relatives, told us they were happy with the care they received and believed it was a safe service. People and their relatives commented, “Quite satisfied”, “Brilliant service” and “I have not had any problems since using the service.”

People had a team of regular, reliable staff, they had agreed the times of their visits and were kept informed of any changes. No one reported ever having had any missed visits. People told us, “Always turn up on time, if not they ring me to let me know” and “They always come.”

Staff treated people respectfully and asked people how they wanted their care and support to be provided. People and their relatives spoke positively about staff, commenting, “They are very kind to me”, “I can have a laugh with them”, “Staff don’t rush me”, “They all make me feel very comfortable” and “They are extremely kind and considerate.”

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they cared for and knew how to recognise if people’s needs changed. Staff were aware of people’s preferences and interests, as well as their health and support needs, which enabled them to provide a personalised service. People who needed help taking their medicines were appropriately supported by staff.

People had a care plan that provided staff with direction and guidance about how to meet people’s individual needs and wishes. These care plans were regularly reviewed and any changes in people’s needs were communicated to staff. There was an effective system in place for staff to feedback any changes to people’s needs. Assessments were carried out to identify any risks to the person using the service and to the staff supporting them. This included any environmental risks in people’s homes and any risks in relation to the care and support needs of the person.

Staff were recruited safely, which meant they were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All were clear about how to report any concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to help ensure people were protected.

Management provided staff with appropriate training and supervision. There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff available to meet the needs of people who used the service. Rotas were well managed and the registered manager knew the location and times where new packages could be accepted.

The service acted within the legal framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005(MCA). Management and staff understood how to ensure people who did not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves had their legal rights protected.

There was a positive culture within the staff team and staff spoke passionately about their work. Staff were complimentary about the management team and how they were supported to carry out their work. The registered manager was clearly committed to providing a good service for people. Comments from staff included, “I would not work for anyone else”, “They [management] really value us”, “They are a good company to work

Averlea Domiciliary Care provided care and support to approximately 50 people in their own homes.

We saw people’s privacy and dignity were being maintained. People we spoke with told us “They treat me kindly and with respect” and “I have never been spoken to in a patronising way”.

We saw care plans were detailed and gave direction as to the care and support people needed. They had been regularly reviewed. Comments for people who used the service we spoke with included “I couldn’t fault the company” and “they always ask if I need anything else; they are lovely”.

We were told people felt safe when care workers were in their home. We saw the information care workers were given about safeguarding adults.

The agency had systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided.

We spoke to ten people who used the service and / or their relatives. People told us they thought the staff were “very good” and “they do everything I need them to do”. We were told the staff were generally good timekeepers and usually arrived on time.

People told us that they felt able to express their views directly to the carers or could telephone the office and speak to the registered manager if they needed to. They told us they felt involved with the service they received.

Everybody we spoke with said they felt safe when receiving care from the Averlea domiciliary care staff.

Staff were not provided with up to date policies and procedures that were easily accessible to them. For example, the safeguarding policies and procedures had not been updated to reflect the local multi-agency procedures in place in Cornwall. A recent safeguarding issue had not been reported following the correct process, although the agency had taken action to protect the person who used the service.

A programme of staff training and supervision was in place to ensure that the staff were competent and trained to deliver the required care to people who used the service.

Averlea Domiciliary Care is a community service that provides care and support to adults of all ages, in their own homes. The service provides help with people’s personal care needs in St Austell and surrounding areas. This includes people with physical disabilities and dementia care needs. The service mainly provides personal care for people in short visits at key times of the day to help people get up in the morning, go to bed at night and support with meals.

At the time of our inspection 29 people were receiving a personal care service. These services were funded either privately or through Cornwall Council.

There was a registered manager in post who was responsible for the day-to-day running of the service. 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.

We carried out this announced inspection on 7 and 10 August 2015. We told the provider five days before that we would be coming. This was to ensure the registered manager and key staff were available when we visited the agency’s office. It also meant we could arrange to visit some people in their own homes to hear about their experiences of the service. The service was last inspected in September 2013 and was found to be meeting the regulations.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe using the service and told us, “The service is fantastic”, “No complaints, quite happy” and “I won’t change to anyone else”.

Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. All were clear about how to report any concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to help ensure people were protected. There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of people who used the service.

People were supported to take their medicines by staff who had been appropriately trained. People received care from staff who knew them well, and had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. People told us staff always treated them respectfully and asked them how they wanted their care and support to be provided. People and their relatives spoke well of staff, comments included, “They [staff] are a good set of girls”, “We are happy with the care”, “They [staff] get on well with my husband” and “Staff have a good understanding of mum’s needs”.

Care plans provided staff with clear direction and guidance about how to meet people’s individual needs and wishes. The service was flexible and responded to people’s needs. People told us about how well the service responded if they needed additional help. For example providing extra visits if people were unwell and needed more support, or responding in an emergency situation. People told us, “They [the service] have changed the times of visits to fit around us” and “The service changes times of my visits to fit in with when I need to go out”.

The management had a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how to make sure people who did not have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves had their legal rights protected.

There was a positive culture in the service, the management team provided strong leadership and led by example. Staff told us, “Best company I have worked for” , “Good support” and “If I had any problems I would go to the manager or supervisor and I know they would listen”.

There were effective quality assurance systems in place to make sure that any areas for improvement were identified and addressed.