This inspection took place on 31 January and 01 February 2018 and was announced.

This was the first inspection of this service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in 2015.

The Cambridgeshire Reablement Service (Ely) is located within the Princess of Wales Hospital in Ely. This service provides short-term personal care support for people living in the community. Its primary aim is to promote independence so that people can remain living in their own home, help people recover their independence following illness, discharge from hospital and prevent unnecessary admission to hospital and long-term care facilities. Where some people required longer-term care, the service also provided this where deemed necessary to enable continued improvement and where access to long-term agencies was not available. At the time of our inspection there were 36 people using the service.

There was 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 had their needs assessed and reviewed so that staff knew how to support them to regain their independence and improve their daily living skills. People's support plans contained personalised goals. However, further work was needed to reduce risks to people’s health, welfare and safety as only brief information was provided in care plans to guide staff in the safe management of people’s medicines.

Without exception, we received only positive comments from people and their relatives about the quality of the service they received. The management team were dedicated in creating a positive, open culture with people at the heart of the service. The management team were positive role models demonstrating the values and standards they expected staff to embody by focussing on continuous improvement leading to positive outcomes for people.

Staff were caring, compassionate and creative in overcoming obstacles and finding opportunities to go ‘the extra mile' in order to promote people's independence and wellbeing. People told us they valued their relationships with staff and they were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were dedicated, skilled and empathic towards the people they supported.

This was a highly responsive service that worked in partnership with other health and social care providers to design and implement a programme that helped reduce avoidable hospital admissions and for people following discharge from hospital to return home and regain their independent living skills. The management team understood the crucial role of working in partnership with people, families and other health and social care professionals. This ensured joined up working, enabling people access to appropriate services and to regain their confidence and independence.

Staff knew how to recognise and report abuse. Staff had been provided with training and were regularly assessed to ensure they remained competent. There was a system to ensure that staff received further training to update their skills. The provider's recruitment process was followed and this meant that people using the service received care from suitable staff. There was a sufficient number of staff to meet people’s needs.

People received care and support from staff who were trained, skilled, experienced and knowledgeable within the roles they were employed to perform. Staff knew the people they supported well and had received the necessary training to equip them for their roles. People were supported by staff who were kind and compassionate in their approach. Staff were supported by the management team with regular staff meetings, supervision and annual appraisals. They were also supported with an effective and respon