Charmes Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. It provides a service to older adults, people living with dementia and younger adults.

At the time of the inspection, the service was providing care and support to 48 people. Each person received a variety of care hours, depending on their level of need. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspect the services being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; such as help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where this is provided, we also take into account any wider social care provided.

Inspection activity started on 17 December 2018 and ended 28 December 2018. This inspection was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our inspection as we needed to be sure key members of staff would be available.

There was 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.

At our last inspection, in September 2016, the service was rated as Good. At this inspection, we found the service remained Good. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People received safe care. Staff had completed safeguarding adults training and they knew how to manage risks associated with people's care. Risk management plans provided staff with the information they needed to keep people as safe as possible.

Staff had access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and people were protected from the risk of infection.

People were supported to receive their medicines by staff who had been trained appropriately and medicine administration records were completed accurately.

There were enough staff to keep people safe and meet their needs. Appropriate recruitment checks had been completed when new staff joined the service.

Staff received a variety of training and demonstrated knowledge, skill and competence to support people effectively. Staff were supported appropriately by the registered manager and deputy manager.

People’s rights were protected in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and staff sought people’s consent appropriately.

People had access to health and social care professionals where required and staff worked together co-operatively and efficiently. People were supported to maintain their nutritional needs.

Staff treated people with kindness, respect and compassion. Staff had built positive relationships with people.

Staff took action to protect people’s dignity and privacy and encouraged people to be independent with all aspects of their daily routines where possible.

People had a clear, detailed and person-centred care plans in place, which guided staff on the most appropriate way to support them. People’s families were invited to be involved in the planning and delivery of their relatives care where appropriate.

The service was responsive to people’s changing needs. Staff were aware of and supported people’s individual communication preferences.

There was a clear process in place to ensure that any concerns raised would be investigated thoroughly.

People, their relatives, and staff members commented positively on the leadership of the service and felt that the service was well-led.

There was open communication between staff in the community and within the office. Staff enjoyed their roles and felt valued in their work.

There were appropriate auditing systems in place, which ensured that issues were acted upon promptly.

Charmes Care provides domiciliary care services to people living at home. They currently provide a total of 670 hours of personal care to 48 people. Each person received a variety of care hours from the agency, depending on their level of need.

The inspection was conducted between 4 and 11 August 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our inspection as it was a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure key staff members would be available.

There was 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.

Staff did not have a clear understanding of legislation designed to protect people’s rights, although they did seek verbal consent from people. All but one person were encouraged people to maintain a healthy diet. People were encouraged to drink, especially during hot weather.

People and their families felt safe and trusted the staff who supported them. Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and knew how to prevent, identify and report abuse. Risks relating to the environment or the health and support needs of people were assessed and managed effectively.

Medicines were given safely by staff who were suitably trained. Staff recruitment practices were safe and helped ensure only suitable staff were employed. There were enough staff to support people; they were reliable and arrived on time.

Staff were knowledgeable and received appropriate training to support people. They completed an induction programme and were appropriately supported in their work by supervisors and managers.

Staff took care to be discreet and unobtrusive when working in people’s homes. People described them as “dedicated” and “kind”. They protected people’s privacy and involved them in decisions about their care.

People received personalised care and support that met their individual needs. Care plans provided comprehensive information to enable staff to provide care in a consistent way. Staff referred people to healthcare professionals when needed.

The provider sought and acted on feedback from people. There was a suitable complaints policy in place and people knew how to complain. People told us the service was well-led and said they would recommend it to others. Staff were motivated and enjoyed working at the service.

There was a quality assurance process in place which focused on continually improving the service. A range of audits was completed to assess and monitor the service, together with surveys of people and their relatives.