This announced inspection took place on 15 September 2016 with telephone interviews with people who use the service and their relatives completed on 20 and 21 September 2016.

Friends Care Agency provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service provided care to 27 people.

The service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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.

During our inspection we found that people told us that they felt safe using the service. Most care calls were made on time and if there were to be delays people were informed of this. People had regular care staff wherever possible which had enabled them to build positive relationships with the staff that supported them. Staff were aware of the safeguarding process. Personalised risk assessments were in place to reduce the risk of harm to people and these were reviewed regularly.

The number of people to whom care was provided was restricted to the number that the staff employed were able to care for. The registered manager had refused to increase the number of people who used the service until they had sufficient trained staff in post to provide the care needed. Robust recruitment and selection processes were in place and the provider had taken steps to ensure that staff were suitable to work with people who used the service. Staff were trained and supported by way of regular supervision and review of their experience and competency.

People and relatives had been involved in determining their support needs and the way in which the support was to be provided. Their consent was gained before any support was provided and the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 were met. People and their relatives were involved in the regular review of people’s support needs.

Information about the service and the complaints policy was available in folders held in people’s homes. The complaints policy was effective and complaints had been investigated appropriately.

People, their relatives and staff were able to make suggestions as to how the service was provided and developed. Staff worked as a team to provide the required support to people who used the service. An effective quality assurance system was in place with checks of both documentation and working practice being undertaken.