The inspection took place on 16, 22 and 23 May 2018. This is the first time we have inspected the service since it was registered in April 2017.

Direct Health (Tyneside) is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults. At the time of the inspection there were 108 people receiving a service.

The service had 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.

People and their relatives told us people felt safe receiving support from staff. Staff had completed training in safeguarding and the registered manager actively raised any safeguarding concerns with the local authority.

Risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were assessed and managed. Environmental risk assessments were in place in relation to people’s own homes.

People’s medicines were administered in accordance with best practice and managed in a safe way.

People, relatives and staff felt there were enough staff to meet people’s needs. There were mixed views regarding the timeliness of calls but people relayed these weren’t frequent issues. Staff were recruited in a safe way.

New staff told us they received a structured induction programme and they found this supported them in their roles and prepared them to deliver care to people safely. Staff received regular training, supervisions and annual appraisals to support them in their roles.

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. The principles of The Mental Capacity Act 2005 were applied appropriately in this service.

People were supported to meet their nutritional needs and to access a range of health professionals. Information of healthcare intervention was included in care records.

People and relatives felt the service was caring and staff were friendly. Staff treated people with dignity and respect when supporting them with daily tasks. People were supported to be as independent as possible.

People had access to advocacy services if they wished to receive support.

Care plans were in place for meeting each person's individual needs. They were personalised, detailed and included people’s preferences. Regular reviews were carried out with people about their care and support.

People and their relatives told us they knew how to raise any concerns they had about the service. The provider had a complaints procedure in place and kept a log of any complaints received. All complaints received were investigated, acted upon and outcomes were fed back to complainants.

There were audit systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. The views of people and staff were sought by the registered manager via annual questionnaires. All results were analysed and improvements were made where identified.