Chorley Domiciliary Care service provides personal care to people living in their own houses in the community. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care' and help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating.

The service is registered to support older people, people living with dementia, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, mental health needs, physical disability and younger adults.

At our last inspection we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns.

This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

There continues to be a registered manager in post who is supported by seven team managers. People and staff spoke positively about the management team of the service.

Risks to people were assessed and action taken to reduce them. Staff were able to explain different types of abuse and were aware of action they should take if they had any concerns. A safeguarding referral had been made appropriately.

There were safe systems in place to support people with their medicines.

Appropriate recruitment checks were undertaken before staff started their employment, to ensure they were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

There was a large staff team in place and a system was in place to ensure a person is supported by a consistent staff team.

Staff received induction, training and supervision to give them the skills and knowledge they needed to care for people effectively. From the start of employment all staff work towards achieving the Care Certificate and then are encouraged to pursue further development opportunities.

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.

People received support with their nutritional needs where required and people were satisfied with the support they received to shop and prepare meals.

Staff sought advice from healthcare professionals when they had any concerns about people's health.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and supported people to maintain their independence. We observed caring interactions between staff and people who used the service. It was evident staff knew people well and that meaningful relationships had developed. There was a positive, person-centred culture within the service.

Care plans were in place to give staff the information they needed to support people in line with their preferences and needs.

The provider had a policy for responding to any concerns and complaints. People told us they would feel comfortable reporting any concerns and were confident these would be addressed.

There was a quality assurance system in place to monitor the quality of care. This was overseen by the registered manager and audited by senior managers of the Local Authority.

We spoke to eight people who used the service as well as staff supporting them. People who used the service were positive about their experiences and the comments received reflected this. One person who used the service stated, "If I want to do anything I just ask one of the support staff, all the staff are really good to us all". Another person said, "Every day is different. We are supported well. I have no complaints at all, we can talk and discuss things with each other and staff".

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to safeguard those people using the service. People we spoke with told us they felt safe using the service and felt able to raise any concerns with staff.

We found evidence that there was an effective recruitment process in place and found policies to back the process up. These included a recruitment procedure, equal opportunities policy and disciplinary and grievance policy.

The provider had an effective system in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health and safety of people using the service and others.

This inspection was conducted on 29 January and 3 February 2015 by an Adult Social Care inspector from the Care Quality Commission. The provider had been given short notice of our planned visit, in accordance with our inspection methodologies of Domiciliary Care services.

Chorley Domiciliary Service is registered to provide personal care for people with learning disabilities within a supported living environment. The service is run rom a day centre in Chorley town centre by Lancashire County Council. At the time of our inspection 37 people were receiving care and support from the service.

There was a registered manager at the service 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.

We received positive comments from everyone we spoke with. We looked at a wide range of records, including four people’s care plans and the personnel records for five members of staff. Records showed that relevant checks had been made to ensure new staff members were suitable to work with vulnerable people.

People’s care was based on an assessment of their needs, with information being gathered from a variety of sources. Evidence was available to demonstrate that people had been involved in making decisions about the way care and support was delivered.

We saw that regular reviews of care were conducted and any changes in people’s needs were documented and strategies had been put in place to address any further needs. People’s privacy and dignity were consistently respected.

People who used the service were safe. The staff team were well trained and had good support from their management team. They knew how to report any issues of concern about a person’s safety and were competent to deliver the care and support needed by those who used the service.

Medications were well managed and our findings demonstrated that proper steps had been taken to ensure people who used the service were protected against the risks of receiving inappropriate or unsafe care or treatment. This helped to ensure people’s health; safety and welfare were consistently promoted.

People were supported to access the local community and were involved in a range of activities both in their home environment and outside of the home. People were also supported to access health care services such as their GP and dentist.