This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults.

Not everyone using CASA Leeds receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

We inspected CASA Leeds on 29 November and 7 December. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of our inspection because the service provides care in people’s own homes and we wanted to make sure staff would be in the office and that the manager was available.

At the last inspection in November 2015 the service was rated overall as ‘Good’.

There was no registered manager in place for the service. The service had a manager who was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 were not enough staff to meet people’s needs, and people told us that staff were frequently late or missed their visits. We received mixed feedback from people on the competency and suitability of staff who cared for them

Records relating to the safe management of medicines were not completed well, however we did not see any evidence that the management of medicines in other areas was unsafe.

We found two breaches of regulations in relation to staffing and good governance. This was because there were not enough suitably qualified and competent staff deployed to meet people’s needs, and because the systems and processes in place did not effectively monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service.

You can see the action we have asked the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.

People we spoke with told us their complaints were not always responded to appropriately and they felt they were not listened to. We have made a recommendation about the management of complaints made about the service because people told us they felt they weren’t listened to when they rang the office with concerns.

Staff were recruited safely, with appropriate background checks carried out.

Risks to people were assessed appropriately, and staff knew how to spot signs of abuse and act appropriately in line with the provider’s safeguarding procedures.

Staff were provided with an induction and training programme that they felt met their needs. Staff felt well supported through supervisions, appraisals and spot checks.

People were supported to eat and drink enough, and people told us they were well supported with their health needs.

People told us care workers were kind and compassionate and that their dignity and privacy was protected. Staff were able to describe how they maintained people’s dignity and privacy when carrying out personal care. Staff described how they supported people to maintain their independence.

Care plans were written in a person-centred way with good detailed guidelines for staff on caring for people the way they wanted to be cared for.

There was a new leadership team in place. Staff told us this had improved morale.

The provider had for a long time been unable to monitor the quality of the service due to a failure of their computer systems and efforts to rectify this had been unsuccessful and resulted in missed visits.

The provider sought people’s feedback on the quality of the care it provided through surveys and quality monitoring calls.

This inspection took place on 2 October 2015 and was announced. At the last inspection in February 2014 we found the provider was meeting the regulations we looked at.

CASA Leeds is registered to provide personal care to people in their own home. At the time of the inspection, the service had 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 we spoke with told us they were happy with the care they received and were complimentary about the staff who supported them. They told us the service was well managed. We sent out surveys and the responses told us most people felt care workers always treated them with respect and dignity, and care workers were caring and kind. Fewer people said they were introduced to their care workers before they provided care or support.

People were involved in planning their care. The service had systems in place to keep people safe through risk assessment and management. The provider was introducing a more comprehensive assessment and care plan format to make sure all aspects of care were covered as part of the care planning process. They had developed a mental capacity assessment and support plan.

People told us they felt safe. Staff understood how to keep people safe and told us any potential risks were identified. Staff were confident people received good care and were able to tell us about people’s likes and dislikes, needs and wishes.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and most visits were well planned. Sometimes the timing between visits did not give staff enough time to get to the next appointment. Most people said the same care workers visited, staff stayed the agreed length of time and their visit times suited their needs and wishes. Checks were carried out before staff were employed by the agency but these were not always done robustly. The provider had a programme of training, supervision and appraisal, and staff felt supported.

The service had good management and leadership. Effective systems were in place that ensured people received safe quality care. Complaints were investigated and responded to appropriately. The local authority told us, “The management is dedicated to innovation and delivering quality.

We spoke with seventeen people who used the service, their relative or friend. Everyone said they were happy with the care and support they received. They said their care records accurately showed how the care had been delivered. One person said, “I’m perfectly happy. They provide proper care.” Another person said, “I’ve experienced care from other agencies and this is the best.” Another person said, “I’m over the moon. They ask if I need anything else and if I do they are there straightaway.”

There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people’s needs, and people received consistent care and support that met their needs. Staff said they nearly always supported the same people so knew the people they were supporting well.

People’s rights were respected, and care and support was person centred. Systems were in place to make sure people’s privacy, dignity, and independence were promoted. Staff had received training and support that helped them understand how to provide good care.

The provider had effective systems in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people who used the service. Quality assurance records showed overall people were happy with the care they received.