Care 4 Care Headquarters is a home care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of our inspection this agency was providing a home care service to 11 older adults who lived in the London Boroughs of Merton and Kingston-Upon-Thames. People using the service had a wide range of health care needs and conditions such as dementia, mental ill health, learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairments.

Eight out of the 11 people currently using Care 4 Care Headquarters received an activity regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’, which includes help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

The service had a registered manager in post who was also the owner. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated regulations about how the service is run.

This provider was newly registered with the CQC in February 2017. This comprehensive inspection is the first time this new home care agency will have been inspected and rated by us. At this home care agency’s inaugural inspection we have rated them ‘Good’ overall and for four out of five of our key questions ‘Is the service safe, effective, caring and responsive?’ This was because we found the service was meeting all the regulations.

However, we have rated them ‘Requires Improvement’ for the key question, ‘Is the service well-led?’ This was because records kept by the service had not been maintained in such a way as to ensure they were always easy to access. We discussed this record keeping issue with the registered manager who agreed to review the way they organised and filed records they kept in the office. Progress made by the provider to improve their record keeping and filing practices will be assessed at their next inspection.

People and their relatives told us they were happy with the standard of home care and support they received from Care 4 Care. They also said staff working for this agency always treated them with kindness and respect. Feedback we received from community social care professional’s supported this.

People felt safe with the staff who provided their care and support. There were robust procedures in place to safeguard people from harm and abuse. Staff were familiar with how to recognise and report abuse. The provider assessed and managed risks to people’s safety in a way that considered their individual needs. Recruitment procedures were designed to prevent people from being cared for by unsuitable staff. When staff handled medicines on behalf of people they managed them safely and ensured people received their medicines as prescribed.

People did not have any concerns about staff turning up late or missing a scheduled visit. This indicated there were sufficient numbers of staff available to support people. Staffing levels were continuously monitored by managers and senior staff to ensure people experienced consistency and continuity in their care and that their needs could be met at all times.

Staff received appropriate training and support to ensure they had the right knowledge and skills to effectively meet people’s needs. Managers and staff adhered to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 code of practice. People were supported to eat healthily, where the agency was responsible for this. Staff also took account of people’s food and drink preferences when they prepared meals. People received the support they needed to stay healthy and to access healthcare services.

People and their relatives told us their regular carers treated them or their famil