This inspection visit took place on 08 November 2017 and was announced. We did this to ensure the office base was open and people were available on the day of the inspection visit. This service is a domiciliary care agency and provides care and support to people living in their homes. At present they support 15 people in their home. In addition Haven Group care for people in seven houses, ‘supported living’ for 12 people. It provides a service to older adults and younger disabled adults. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The office consists of three floors. The ground floor is accessible to people who used the service and staff, whilst the two upper floors facilitate management offices and a training room.

There was 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.

At the last inspection the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

We found many examples of how activities, local community involvement and ratios of staff allowed one to one support for people. We found this had a hugely positive impact on their lives. For example a relative said, “What a contribution [staff member] had made to his life. The impact from Haven Group staff has made a tremendous difference to [relative].”

People we spoke with who used the service or lived in supported housing told us they were cared for by staff who were extremely supportive and recognised the importance of being as independent as possible. We were consistently told by people who used the service, relatives and health professionals that care provided was of high quality and person centred. People who used the service told us staff were exceptionally kind, respectful and very supportive.

Haven Group management team and staff made efforts for people they supported to place an emphasis upon community participation. People who used the service told us they were encouraged to live active lives and participate as valued members of their community. People were supported to attend various community groups according to their preferred wishes and hobbies.

The service had sufficient staffing levels in place to provide support people required. We saw staff showed concern for people’s wellbeing and responded quickly when people required their help.

The service had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and took necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report unsafe care or abusive practices.

People who used the service were encouraged to take risks should they wish to do so. This enabled people to develop new skills and promote their independence. When people who used the service chose to take risks, they were appropriately managed by a competent staff team.

Medication procedures protected people from unsafe management of their medicines. People received their medicines as prescribed and when needed and appropriate records had been completed.

Care was provided in a person centred way. People were routinely involved in their own care planning and the development of their service.

People had been 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.

We saw people who lived in supported housing had access to healthcare professionals and their healthcare needs had been met. A social care professional spoke highly about support and guidance provided by the registered manager and staff. They told us staff listened and worked closely with them ensuring p

This inspection visit took place on 21 October 2015 and was announced. We told the registered manager one day before our visit that we would be coming. We did this to ensure we had access to the main office and the management team were available.

The domiciliary agency is based in an office in Morecambe. The office consists of three floors. The ground floor is accessible to clients and staff, whilst the two upper floors facilitate management offices and a training room. The agency supports adults in their own homes or supported tenancy schemes. Care is arranged with the person receiving a service and their families.

There was 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 were kept safe and free from harm. There were appropriate numbers of staff deployed at the houses to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service. Staff had been safely recruited to ensure people would be supported by suitable personnel.

People were approached with a supportive and compassionate manner and staff had a good understanding of protecting people’s dignity and privacy. We observed staff were friendly, respectful and caring towards individuals.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care. People told us they liked the staff and looked forward to the staff coming to their homes. One person who received a service said, “I could not manage without them they provide a lifeline for me.”

Staff responsible for assisting people with their medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required.

People were supported to eat and drink and were encouraged to attend to their own dietary requirements as much as possible. Support and guidance was always available at mealtimes. Staff supported people to attend healthcare appointments and liaised with their GP and other healthcare professionals as required to meet people’s needs.

Care plans were person centred and clearly showed input from the person. The level of detail was good and showed there was an appreciation of the person as an individual to develop skills and independence.

People were provided with support and guidance to meet their aims and goals. For example staff provided one to one support for people who wished to achieve education or employment aims they had chosen.

We found a number of audits were in place to monitor quality assurance. The registered manager had systems in place to obtain the views of people who lived in the supported houses and their relatives.

We spoke with a range of people about the agency. They included the manager, staff, and people who received a service. We also had responses from external agencies including social services. This helped us to gain a balanced overview of what people experienced using the agency.

During the inspection we looked at care planning, staff recruitment and client survey records.

We visited one of the homes where people lived in supported housing cared for by staff from the agency. One person we spoke with said, “I have been here a while and love it.”

People who used the agency told us they provided a good service. Comments included, “The staff are wonderful.” Also, “I go out a lot on my own but the staff always take care of me.”

We spoke with a member of staff about the way they were recruited. “It was very thorough and all the checks were completed before I started to work.”

We spoke with Lancashire council's contracts monitoring team, they confirmed there were no concerns with the service being provided by the agency.

We spoke with the manager, staff, relatives of clients, and people who use the service. We also visited a home where the agency provides 24hr care for 4 individuals and spoke with staff and a person living at the house. Comments we received were positive and included from staff, "A good agency to work for, putting the clients interests first." Also, "We receive support from the management and they are all approachable."

Some people require a lot of care because of their complex needs. Staff spoken with had an awareness of individual support people required. Staff talked about the importance of treating people with respect and dignity. One staff member said, "I have been here a while and it is important to treat people with respect." A person using the service we spoke with said, "They are always polite and kind."

Other professional agencies we spoke with, such as Lancashire social services said they

had no issues with the agency. They told us they had not been involved in any

safeguarding incidents.

One person we spoke with who uses the service told us their carers provided sensitive and flexible personal care support and they felt well cared for. They said they had no concerns about the care being provided and they felt safe and protected from potential harm. A relative spoken with said, "They provide an excellent service to my daughter."

People told us that they would be comfortable in raising any concerns they may have and feel the service is run in their best interests.