Candlelight Homecare Trowbridge Area Office provides personal care and support to approximately 60 people in their own home.

This inspection took place on 10 and 11 May 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service; we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection was carried out by one inspector and an expert by experience.

A registered manager was employed by the service who was present on the second day of the inspection. 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.

There was a stable management team who took appropriate action to make sure they provided a safe and reliable service for people.

People received care and support from staff they knew well and had built trusting relationships with them. Comments from people were extremely complimentary about the staff who visited them.

People were treated with respect and dignity and were encouraged to make choices.

Staff felt very supported and received training they required to carry out their jobs.

People who used the service felt safe with the staff who supported them, and received the care and support as they expected.

People knew how to make a complaint and were confident any issues raised would be investigated and resolved.

The agency used feedback from people to monitor the quality of the service and identify how improvements could be made.

The agency’s robust recruitment procedure and staff training helped to minimise the risks of abuse to people.

We spoke with staff who confirmed their understanding that the people they provided care for had the right to refuse care and treatment, and that they needed to obtain consent before they delivered care.

We saw that people's care plans contained specific details to enable staff to know the care that was required for each person. Each care plan contained risk assessments, care plans for each aspect of care required, and information about items such as key holding and the arrangements for entering and leaving the property.

The care records showed that the quality of the care provided was monitored. Senior staff carried out regular spot checks on the care staff in the work place

We talked to care staff who confirmed that they were well supported in their work and that there was always a senior person to contact at any time if they were unsure about any situation they faced.

We spoke with relatives who expressed satisfaction with the actual care provided, and expressed their views that the care staff were really good, but we also received comments about inconsistency of staff and poor time keeping on occasions. Overall the people spoken to were complimentary about the service they received.

We spoke with six people who received a service from Candlelight Homecare services. People commented “the girls are fantastic” “some girls are above average” and “the girls are always extremely nice, some are outstanding.” Comments received in relation to the office staff were not so positive. One person said “I am happy with the girls but not so happy with the office staff,” and another told us “it’s the office that’s the problem.”

People we spoke with said they were treated well by the care staff. People who received support with personal care told us staff “did it nicely and respectfully” and “they are like my daughters, I wouldn’t change them for the world.”

Staff explained how they involved people and their families in the planning of their care. We saw care plans included all aspects of the person’s life. People we spoke with confirmed care staff consulted the care plans during each visit.

People we spoke with said they felt safe with care staff that visited them. Staff we met and spoke with told us they received training in safeguarding people. They said they understood what constituted potential abuse and were aware of the local protocols.

Within a recent staff survey training had been rated as excellent or good by the staff. We saw in records staff members had requested specific training such as dementia and foot care and this had been arranged for them.

The quality of the service was assessed by audits relating to specific outcome areas.

People told us they were treated well by the care staff. One person summed up people’s views by saying “all of the carers are nice and kind”. One relative endorsed this comment but felt the office staff did not always listen to their concerns.

People said their privacy and dignity were respected. We received positive comments about the care staff. People told us they were competent and their work practices regularly monitored. The majority of people felt the care staff were reliable and they were kept informed of any changes to their care.

This inspection took place on 1 May 2015 and we spoke with people who used the service, their relatives and staff on the 5 and 6 May 2015. This was an announced inspection which meant the provider knew two days before we would be visiting. This was because the location provides a Domiciliary Care service. We wanted to make sure the manager would be available to support our inspection, or someone who could act on their behalf.

Candlelight Homecare is registered to provide personal care (not nursing) to children and adults. At the time of our inspection 107 people were using the service.

There was not a registered manager in post at the service at the time of our inspection, but the recently employed manager was in the process of becoming registered. 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 manager was accessible and approachable. Staff, people who used the service and

relatives felt able to speak with the manager and provided feedback on the service.

We saw records to show formal complaints relating to the service had been dealt with effectively.

Staff were knowledgeable of people’s preferences and care needs. People told us the regular staff they had from provided them with the care and support they needed and expected. However we received consistent negative feedback about the staffing arrangements at weekends. This resulted in the lack of consistency of staff sometimes and meant some people did not always feel safe. The manager explained a recent on-going recruitment campaign was successful. The rotas had been rearranged and the management of requests for annual leave had been improved.

Staff explained the importance of supporting people to make choices about their daily lives. Where necessary, staff contacted health and social care professionals for guidance and support.

We looked at the care records for ten people. They outlined each person’s needs and the support required. People told us they were supported in a range of interests which suited their wishes; this included accessing their local community.

Staff had received regular training in mandatory subjects which was provided face to face by a person employed to provide training to staff. The team leaders and manager said the effectiveness of training is monitored through the supervision and if necessary disciplinary processes. Each of the six staff records we saw showed training was up to date. They also included records to show staff received regular supervision of their performance.

All staff were clear about how to report any concerns they had. Staff were confident that any concerns raised would be fully investigated to ensure people were protected. The majority of staff were knowledgeable about the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.