Home Instead Senior Care Farnborough was a privately run domiciliary care agency, which was part of the national Home Instead franchise. It provided companionship and personal care to adults over twenty-five years of age, including people living with dementia or a cognitive impairment.

There was a registered manager in place who was also one of the providers. 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 home is run.

The inspection was carried out between 01 December and 07 December 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our inspection as it was a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure key staff members would be available. At the time of our visit the service was providing personal care to 40 people.

A model of personalised and compassionate care, which focused on the whole person was a golden thread that ran through the whole of the service. People were supported by staff who were passionate about treating them with dignity and respect at all times.

People received exceptionally person centred care from staff who knew each person well, their life and what mattered to them. The people using the service experienced a level of care and support that enhanced their wellbeing and improved their quality of life. The service provided support that focused on the individual’s needs and the needs of their families.

People’s lives and wellbeing were enriched because staff encouraged them to be as independent as possible. Staff demonstrated passionate, caring and positive relationships with people and were sensitive to their individual choices.

People and when appropriate their families were involved in discussions about their care planning, which reflected their assessed needs. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink.

People benefitted from an exceptionally well-managed and organised service and the provider/registered manager led by example. The providers’ clear vision and values underpinned staff practice and put people at the heart of the service. Staff were aware of the vision and values, how they related to their work and spoke positively about the culture and management of the service.

Staff were inspired to offer care that was kind and compassionate through the passion demonstrated by both of the providers. The providers positively acknowledge the commitment and achievements of staff.

There were comprehensive quality assurance processes in place using formal audits and regular contact with people, relatives, professionals and staff. Family members told us they were given the opportunity to provide feedback about the culture and development of the service and all said they would recommend the service to families and friends. The providers were responsive to new ideas and had developed links with external organisations and professionals to enhance the staff's and their own knowledge of best practice and to drive forward improvements.

People and their families told us they felt safe while receiving care. Staff and the provider/registered manager had received safeguarding training and were able to explain the action they would take if they identified any concerns.

The risks relating to people’s health, welfare and their environment were assessed and these were recorded along with actions identified to reduce those risks in the least restrictive way. They were personalised and provided sufficient information to allow staff to protect people whilst promoting their independence.

People were supported by staff who were knowledgeable in caring for people with cognitive impairments. They had received an induction into the service and appropriate training, professional development and supervision to enabl