Greenhurst Care is a small family run community service that provides care and support to people in their own homes. The service provides help with people’s personal care needs, meal preparation, shopping and housework in Bognor Regis and surrounding villages. Staff also support people to go out in to the local area. The provider was also the registered manager of the service.

The service mainly provides care and support for people at key times of the day to help people get up in the morning, go to bed at night and give support with meals. This includes supporting people with mobility and dementia care needs. At the time of this inspection 36 people were receiving a service. These services were mostly funded privately.

We carried out this announced inspection on 1 November 2017. The inspection was announced two days advance in accordance with the Care Quality Commission's current procedures for inspecting domiciliary care services. At the last comprehensive inspection on the 14 April 2015 the service was found to be meeting the requirements of the regulations. The rating of this service was Outstanding. At this service we found the service remains Outstanding.

People and their relatives told us they were extremely pleased with the care and support they received from Greenhurst Care. Comments from people included, “I would not want anyone else coming to me, they are all wonderful” and “Time keeping is excellent as is the communication between everyone involved in the care needs of my relative.”

People were treated with respect by staff. People were asked how they wished their care to be provided. Staff respected people’s wishes. For example, people were asked what they wished staff to prepare for their meal and what clothes they wished to wear. Some people were supported to go out each day in to the local area and were able to choose where they went on each trip.

Staff had received training in how to recognise and report abuse. Staff were confident about how to report any concerns and were confident that any allegations made would be fully investigated to help ensure people were protected. People received consistent support from care workers who knew them well. People felt safe and secure when receiving care. Comments included, “Staff are very well trained, especially in skills regarding safety, hygiene and looking after dementia clients” and “All staff have good communication skills.”

Greenhurst Care were fully staffed at the time of this inspection. Any short notice absences of staff were covered by existing staff. There were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified staff to meet the needs of people who used the service. The service was very flexible and responded quickly to people’s changing needs. Staff told us, “We are a small service, we just support people locally, so if someone is unable to come to work we can all run around to cover everything” and “The manager comes out too regularly to provide care and to support us.” People told us, “Time keeping is excellent, as is the communication between everyone involved in the care needs of my relative. We always discuss any changes to their condition and daily routine and I feel able to ask for advice as without exception, the Greenhurst carers show experience and expertise in caring for the elderly” and “They (management) have been very accommodating when we have asked, in advance, for care outside of usual planned visits.”

People received care from staff who had the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. There was a strong emphasis on key principles of care such as compassion, respect and dignity. People who used the service felt they were treated with kindness and said their privacy and dignity was always respected. People and their relatives spoke well of staff. Comments included,“I am confident that the carers are well trained and well supported by management who also visit my relative’s home frequently,” “Staff appear well trained and informed and communicat

The inspection was announced and took place on 14 April 2015.

Greenhurst Care is a small family run domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to older people in their own homes in Bognor Regis and its surrounding villages. People who receive a service include those living with physical frailty or memory loss due to the progression of age. At the time of this inspection the agency was providing a service to 31 people. Visits ranged from half an hour up to two and a half hours. The frequency of visits ranged from one visit per week to four visits per day depending on people’s individual needs.

During our inspection the registered manager was present. 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.

The feedback we received from people was excellent. Those people who used the service expressed great satisfaction and spoke very highly of the registered manager and staff. For example, one person said, “My neighbour recommended them, said they wouldn’t go to anyone else. Neither would I now I’ve had them!"

The safety of people who used the service was taken very seriously and the registered manager and staff were well aware of their responsibility to protect people’s health and wellbeing. There were systems in place to ensure that risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were identified and addressed.

The registered manager ensured that staff had a full understanding of people’s care needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet them. People received consistent support from care workers who knew them well. People felt safe and secure when receiving care.

People had positive relationships with their care workers and were confident in the service. There was a strong emphasis on key principles of care such as compassion, respect and dignity. People who used the service felt they were treated with kindness and said their privacy and dignity was always respected.

People received a service that was based on their personal needs and wishes. Changes in people’s needs were quickly identified and their care package amended to meet their changing needs. The service was flexible and responded very positively to people’s requests. People who used the service felt able to make requests and express their opinions and views.

The registered manager was very committed to continuous improvement and feedback from people, whether positive or negative, was used as an opportunity for improvement. The registered manager demonstrated 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. The registered manager demonstrated strong values and a desire to learn about and implement best practice throughout the service.

Staff were very highly motivated and proud of the service. They said that they were fully supported by the registered manager and a programme of training and supervision that enabled them to provide a high quality service to people.