This inspection took place on 20 and 21 March 2017 and was announced.

Excel Care 24 provides personal care to people who live in their own homes in order for them to maintain their independence.

At the time of our inspection the provider confirmed they were providing personal care to 18 people.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 had a good understanding of abuse and the safeguarding procedures that should be followed to report abuse. Staff were confident that any concerns they raised were followed up appropriately by their manager and people were kept safe.

People had risk assessments in place to enable them to be as independent as possible. All areas of a person’s life were assessed for risk and staff were able to support people safely and in a positive manner.

Staffing levels were adequate to meet people's current needs. People told us that their care was not missed and staff told us they could confidently complete the shifts that were needed to be covered.

The staff recruitment procedures were robust and ensured that appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out to ensure only suitable staff worked at the service.

Staff induction training and on-going training was provided to ensure they had the skills, knowledge and support they needed to perform their roles.

People told us that their medicines were administered safely and on time. Appropriate and accurate records were kept when staff were involved with the administration of medication.

Staff were well supported by the registered manager and senior team, and had regular one to one

Supervisions, spot checks and competency assessments to monitor their ongoing skill and performance within their roles.

People's consent was gained before any care was provided and the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were met. Consent forms were signed by people or their representatives when required.

People were able to choose the food and drink they wanted and staff supported people with this. Staff were able to explain both the preferences and health requirements that people had within their diets and provide the support to them that they needed.

People were supported to access health appointments when necessary. Staff had good knowledge and links with health professionals and helped people to both book and access a variety of different appointments.

Staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect and spent time getting to know them and their specific needs and wishes. Both the management and the staff had a good knowledge of people’s likes and dislikes, their personal history, personality, and family relationships.

People and their families were involved in their own care planning and were able to contribute to the way in which they were supported.

The service had a complaints procedure in place to ensure that people and their families were able to provide feedback about their care and to help the service make improvements where required.

The people we spoke with knew how to use it.

Quality monitoring systems and processes were used effectively to drive future improvement and identify where action was needed.