We undertook this announced inspection on 13 February 2017. Carers for You Limited is registered to provide Personal Care services to people in their own homes. The services they provide include personal care, housework and assistance with medicines.

At our last comprehensive inspection on 3 March 2016 the service we rated the service as “Requires Improvement”. We found two breaches of The Health and Social care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. The first breach was in respect of Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 relating to safe care and treatment. We noted that the records of some people had unexplained gaps in their medicine administration charts (MAR). This indicated that there was no documented evidence that these people had received their required medicines. During the inspection on 13 February 2017, the provider demonstrated that they had taken action to comply and the requirement made. We found no gaps in the MAR charts we examined. People told us they had been given their medicines as agreed.

The second breach was in respect of Regulation 17 relating to good governance. The service did not have effective quality assurance systems for assessing, monitoring and improving the quality of the service. This meant that deficiencies in the service provided may not be promptly identified and rectified. During the inspection on 13 February 2017 the provider had the necessary checks and audits for ensuring quality care. These included reviews of care and regular spot checks on care workers. Documented evidence of these was provided.

People who used the service and their representatives informed us that they were satisfied with the care and services provided for people. They informed us that people had been treated with respect and dignity. They stated that people were safe when cared for by the service. There was a safeguarding adults policy and suitable arrangements for safeguarding people from abuse.

There were suitable arrangements for the administration of medicines. Medicine Administration charts were regularly checked by senior staff of the service to ensure that people received their medicines as agreed. The service had an infection control policy. Gloves, aprons and shoe covers were available in the office for care workers. People and their representatives informed us that care workers observed hygienic practices.

Care workers had been carefully recruited. The necessary checks had been undertaken prior to them starting work. New care workers had been provided with a comprehensive induction and training programme to enable them to care effectively for people. They had the necessary support and supervision from senior staff and the registered manager. Teamwork and communication within the service was good. There were sufficient care workers to meet people's needs.

Care workers were caring in their approach and knowledgeable regarding the individual choices and preferences of people. People’s care needs and potential risks to them were assessed and guidance provided to care workers on how to care for people. Care workers prepared appropriate and up to date care plans which involved people and their representatives. People’s healthcare needs were monitored where this was part of the care agreement.

There were arrangements for encouraging people and their representatives to express their views and make suggestions regarding the care provided and the management of the service. Reviews of care had been carried out to ensure that people received appropriate care. The service had a complaints procedure. Complaints and concerns made had been promptly responded to.

People and their representatives expressed confidence in the management of the service. They stated that care workers communicated well with them and kept them informed if they were held up or running late. A recent satisfaction survey indicated that people and their representatives w

We undertook this announced inspection on 3 March 2016. Carers for You Limited is registered to provide Personal Care services to people in their own homes. The services they provide include personal care, housework and assistance with medicines,

At our last inspection on 3 January 2014 the service met the regulation we looked at.

The service has a registered manager. 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 legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People and their representatives informed us that they were satisfied with the care and services provided. They informed us that people had been treated with respect and they were safe when cared for by the service. There was a safeguarding adults policy and suitable arrangements for safeguarding people from abuse.

Care workers were caring in their approach and knowledgeable regarding the individual choices and preferences of people. People’s care needs and potential risks to them were assessed and guidance provided to care workers on how to care for people. Care workers prepared appropriate and up to date care plans which involved people and their representatives. People’s healthcare needs were monitored and are workers arranged for them to have appointments with healthcare professionals when needed. Care workers worked well with social and healthcare professionals to bring about improvements in people’s care. This was confirmed by professionals we contacted.

There were arrangements for encouraging people and their representatives to express their views and make suggestions regarding the care provided and the management of the service. Reviews and evaluations of care had been carried out to ensure that people received appropriate care. There were arrangements for the recording, storage, administration and disposal of medicines. We however, noted that there were unexplained gaps in the medicine administration charts (MAR) of people. This omission may put people at risk and we found a breach of regulations in respect of this.

Care workers had been carefully recruited and provided with a comprehensive induction and training programme to enable them to care effectively for people. They had the necessary support, supervision and appraisals from their managers. Care workers were able to attend to people's care needs. Teamwork and communication within the service was good.

People and their representatives expressed confidence in the management of the service. They stated that care workers communicated well with them and kept them informed if they were held up or running late. Care workers were aware of the values and aims of the service and this included treating people with respect and dignity, providing high quality care and promoting people’s independence.

Complaints made had been promptly responded to. Three social care professionals provided positive feedback regarding the management of the service. They indicated that the service was well organised and there was good communication with the service regarding the progress of people.

Audits and checks of the service had been carried out by the registered manager and field care supervisors of the service. These included three monthly spot checks on care workers and three monthly telephone monitoring calls to people who used the service. In addition, the service had three monthly face to face reviews to obtain feedback from people who used the service. We noticed that audits on medication recording were not sufficiently comprehensive as they failed to identify and rectify the deficiencies we noted.

We found two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what actions we told the provider to take at the back of t