Cumbria Quality Care is a domiciliary care service which provides personal care to people who live in their own homes in Penrith and Kendal areas. There were 43 people using the service at the time of this inspection.

This comprehensive inspection was carried out between 16 and 24 January 2019.

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 ongoing 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.

People said they felt safe with the staff who supported them. Staff understood how to report any concerns. People and staff felt there were enough staff employed to assist people with their agreed care packages. The provider carried out safe recruitment checks to make sure only suitable staff were employed.

Some people were assisted with their medicines where assessments and agreements were in place. Staff had the right equipment and training to assist people in a hygienic way. People’s needs were assessed before they began using the service to make sure the right care could be provided for them. Staff said they had good training and support.

Staff assisted people with their nutritional well-being if this was part of their care package agreement. The service worked with other health agencies where relevant.

People’s consent and permission was sought and care was only provided with their agreement. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff assisted them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and relatives were positive about the caring, friendly and helpful nature of staff. People said they enjoyed good relationships with the staff team and received a good standard of care. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. They helped people to maintain as much independence as possible.

People received care that was based on their individual preferences and needs. They were fully involved in agreeing the plan of their support. People said they received a consistent service from a regular staff team who knew them well. They said the service was responsive to any request for changes and these were easily accommodated.

People, relatives and staff said the management team were open and approachable. People had opportunities to give their views about the service. The provider gave information to people about the service they should expect and the complaints procedure.

The provider had systems in place for auditing the quality of the service and for making improvements. The provider was in the process of reviewing all policies and procedures to make sure they reflected the service provided.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

Say when the inspection took place and whether the inspection was announced or unannounced. Where relevant, describe any breaches of legal requirements at your last inspection, and if so whether improvements have been made to meet the relevant requirement(s).

Provide a brief overview of the service (e.g. Type of care provided, size, facilities, number of people using it, whether there is or should be a registered manager etc).

N.B. If there is or should be a registered manager include this statement to describe what a registered manager is:

‘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.’

Give a summary of your findings for the service, highlighting what the service does well and drawing attention to areas where improvements could be made. Where a breach of regulation has been identified, summarise, in plain English, how the provider was not meeting the requirements of the law and state ‘You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.’ Please note that the summary section will be used to populate the CQC website. Providers will be asked to share this section with the people who use their service and the staff that work at there.