This inspection took place on 8 and 9 August 2017 and was announced. At our last inspection in May 2015 the service was rated as good.

Dynamic People Homecare Services provides personal care services to people in their own homes At the time of our inspection approximately 214 people were receiving a personal care service.

The service had a registered manager who had been in post since the service opened in 1989. 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’s needs were assessed and care plans were developed to identify what care and support people required. People were involved in their care planning and were able to express their views or raise concerns. When people’s needs changed, this was quickly identified and prompt, appropriate action was taken to ensure people’s well-being was protected. People had a copy of their care plan in their home.

People experienced positive outcomes as a result of the service they received and gave us good feedback about their care and support.

People were safe. Staff understood how to recognise the signs and symptoms of potential abuse and told us they would report any concerns they may have to their manager. Assessments were undertaken to assess any risks to the people using the service and the staff supporting them. This included environmental risks and any risks due to people’s health and support needs. The risk assessments we viewed included information about action to be taken to minimise these risks.

Staff were motivated and proud to work for the service; as a result staff turnover was kept to a minimum ensuring that continuity of care was in place for most people who used the service. A number of staff had worked for the agency for many years.

Staff were respectful of people’s privacy and maintained their dignity. Staff told us they gave people privacy whilst they undertook aspects of personal care, asking people how they would like things done and making enquiries as to their well-being to ensure people were comfortable.

The service followed safe recruitment practices and carried out appropriate checks before staff started supporting people. There were sufficient numbers of staff to safely meet people’s needs.

The registered manager demonstrated sound leadership and a good understanding of the importance of effective quality assurance systems. There were processes in place to monitor quality and understand the experiences of people who used the service. We saw that regular visits and phone calls had been made by the office staff to people using the service and their relatives in order to obtain feedback about the staff and the care provided.

Managers demonstrated strong values and a desire to learn about and implement best practice throughout the service. Care staff received regular supervision and appraisal from their manager. People were supported by staff who had excellent knowledge and skills required to meet their needs. The provider had their own training department which organised the training of all staff. This included providing literacy training for staff where English was not their first language, so that they could provide culturally appropriate care.

People were supported to eat and drink. Staff supported people to take their medicines when required and attended healthcare appointments and liaised with their GP and other healthcare professionals to meet people’s needs.

The service had a complaints policy. People who used the service and their relatives told us they knew how to make a complaint if needed.

This inspection took place on the 22 May 2015 and was announced. At our last inspection in November 2013 the service was meeting the regulations inspected.

Dynamic People homecare services provides personal care services to people in their own homes At the time of our inspection approximately 200 people were receiving a personal care service.

The service had a registered manager who had been in post since the service opened in 1998. 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’s needs were assessed and care plans were developed to identify what care and support people required. People said they were involved in their care planning and were happy to express their views or raise concerns. When people’s needs changed, this was quickly identified and prompt, appropriate action was taken to ensure people’s well-being was protected. People had a copy of their care plan in their home.

People were safe. Staff understood how to recognise the signs and symptoms of potential abuse and told us they would report any concerns they may have to their manager. Assessments were undertaken to assess any risks to the people using the service and the staff supporting them. This included environmental risks and any risks due to people’s health and support needs. The risk assessments we viewed included information about action to be taken to minimise these risks.

Staff were highly motivated and proud to work for the service, as a result staff turnover was kept to a minimum ensuring that continuity of care was in place for most people who used the service

Staff were respectful of people’s privacy and maintained their dignity. Staff told us they gave people privacy whilst they undertook aspects of personal care, asking people how they would like things done and making enquiries as to their well-being to ensure people were comfortable.

Care staff received regular supervision and appraisal from their manager. These processes gave staff an opportunity to discuss their performance and identify any further training they required. Care workers we spoke with placed a high value on their supervision.

We saw that regular visits and phone calls had been made by the office staff to people using the service and their relatives in order to obtain feedback about the staff and the care provided.

People were supported to eat and drink. Staff supported people to take their medicines when required and attend healthcare appointments and liaised with their GP and other healthcare professionals as required to meet people’s needs

The service had a complaints policy People who used the service and their relatives told us they knew how to make a complaint if needed.

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We visited the office of Dynamic People Homecare Services based in Finchley North London.

We spoke with three people and one relative of people who used the service over the telephone. We also spoke with four members of staff and the registered manager.

People who used the service mostly provided positive feedback regarding their experience of the service. Comments included "They provide a fantastic service and exactly what we need." Another comment made "They're doing what they're meant to be doing."

We viewed eight care plans. Individual needs were established before the person used the service. We found that the care plans were detailed and specific to the individual's needs and preferences. People told us that they were involved in making decisions about their care and support.

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported. They were provided with practical training appropriate to their roles. We found that staff were regularly supervised.

We found that the provider had robust systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the services provided.

Three people who use the service and two relatives informed us that they were satisfied with the services provided. They said carers treated people with respect and dignity. They indicated that carers from the agency carried out their duties as agreed in their care plans. Their views can be summarised by the following comment, “I have been using their carers for many years. Sometimes there are a few minor issues, but on the whole I am satisfied with the care provided.”

People who use the service and their relatives said that they felt safe with their carers. The agency had an appropriate safeguarding policy and procedure. Staff we spoke with were aware of the procedure to follow when responding to allegations or incidents of abuse.

People who use the service indicated that their carers were reliable and competent. The training records indicated they had been provided with essential training. Staff informed us that they felt supported by their managers.

People and their relatives said they had been consulted regarding the services provided. Reviews of care had been carried out with them. Arrangements for quality assurance were in place. Monitoring visits and spot checks had been carried out by the agency and concerns expressed by them had been promptly responded to. This was confirmed in the complaints’ records.