The inspection took place on 17 October 2017 and was announced. We gave the service short notice of our inspection. This was due to the nature of the service and to ensure the registered manager was available to assist us during our inspection.

Care Staff North West is registered to provide personal care to people living with a dementia, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, mental health, older people, people with an eating disorder, physical disability, sensory impairment and younger adults in their own homes. At the time of our inspection one person was in receipt of care from the service.

At the last comprehensive inspection on 1, 5 and 23 October 2015 the service was rated as good overall and was meeting the requirements of the regulation at that time. During this inspection the service remained good and was meeting current regulation requirements.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our 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.

A relative told us they felt their family member was safe and well cared for by the service. Staff we spoke with understood the appropriate procedures to take when dealing with any allegations of abuse. Risk assessments had been completed that were relevant to the care people received.

Systems demonstrated that safe recruitment was taking place and staff we spoke with told us they had completed an induction on commencement of their role. Staff had completed detailed training that supported the delivery of effective care to people.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Records confirmed and staff told us consent was always sought before undertaking any care or activity. People were involved in decisions regarding the care they received from the service.

The care people received met their needs and wishes and it was clear staff understood the person’s needs, respected their wishes as well as knew how best to support them. Care records were detailed, person centred and provided staff with up to date relevant information about people. Activities were person centred and tailored around the person’s likes, hobbies and interests.

Policies and guidance was in place about how to deal with complaints. Evidence was seen that demonstrated the appropriate procedures taken by the service to deal with any complaints. We saw positive feedback in evaluation and surveys from people who used the service and relatives about the care they received and the quality of the staff who delivered their care.

We received positive feedback about the leadership and management of the service. Staff and the relative we spoke with were complimentary about the registered manager and the support she provided. Audits and quality monitoring was taking place which demonstrated safe care provided by the service.

People who used the service told us their care preferences and choices had been discussed with them prior to the service starting and that this had been reviewed periodically. We also found evidence of this within people's support plans.

Care assessments and care plans were in place and these were followed in practice. We found that people usually had the same carers and that they were happy with them and the service they received, one person told us, "They (the care workers) never let us down and they are always there when we need somebody". Another person told us, "The care staff are smashing, they are doing a good job".

We found that safe and effective recruitment processes were in place and that the service had a staff team that was appropriately qualified and experienced to provide a safe and effective service.

People who used the service were able to give their views about the service. Systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service that people received. An effective complaints system was in place.

People who use the service and their relatives told us they were happy with the support they received, one person said" I am very happy with the service provided, I'm not sure how we would cope without them".

We found that relevant information was in place to ensure that safe and appropriate care is provided. A range of relevant training had been provided to staff. Suitable arrangements were in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. People told us they felt safe with the care staff and said they would report any concerns to a manager.

We found that people were very happy with the care workers who visited them and that they were competent in their role, one person stated, "It takes a lot of pressure off us, I can trust all the carers that come".

People felt confident in how the service was managed and that they could discuss their care needs or make recommendations to staff or management when required.

This inspection took place on 01, 05 and 23 October 2015.

The last inspection of Carestaff Northwest took place on 31 July 2013. At that time we found that the provider was fully compliant with all the regulations assessed.

Carestaff Northwest provides domiciliary care for people in their own homes. Carestaff Northwest offer services for people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health, dementia, sensory impairments and people transitioning from hospital back to home.

Carestaff Northwest, as a condition of its registration, should have a registered manager in place. 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 full time registered manager at the service. The registered manager was available throughout the inspection. We found that the registered manager was fully committed to their role and demonstrated a full understanding of people’s needs who were receiving services from Carestaff Northwest.

At the time of the inspection Carestaff Northwest was providing outreach services for two people. We spoke with people who received services and, or their representatives. People told us that they felt safe when being supported and said that staff were kind and caring.

The service had systems in place for reporting accidents and incidents. Staff told us that they felt confident to raise concerns.

People who used the service were provided with personalised care which was based on their individual needs, wishes and goals.

We looked at staff recruitment and training files. We found that systems were in place to ensure that staff were safely recruited. Criminal record checks and employment references were obtained prior to staff being offered work.

We spoke with staff and they told us that they enjoyed working at Carestaff Northwest. Staff told us that they felt supported and had been suitably trained to allow them to provide safe and effective support for people who accessed the service.

People who used the service told us they felt involved in care decisions and we saw that service users and, or their relatives had been involved in care plan review meetings.

We found that people were happy with the service they were provided and saw that care plans had been written with full consideration for the person’s individual needs, preferences and wishes.

People were allocated support workers and we could see that the service adhered to providing consistency. One person told us that they had raised concerns about lack of support worker consistency; however this issue had been resolved.

We found that people were able to interview staff before a care package was agreed. This meant that people felt fully involved in staff selection and this facilitated person centred support.

The provider had systems in place to access, monitor and evaluate the quality of care and support provided for people who accessed the service. Auditing systems were used for quality assurance and we found that actions were taken when needed.