This inspection took place on 15 and 20 December 2016 and was announced. The provider was given notice of the inspection on 13 December because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. This was the first inspection since the provider registered at this location on 11 September 2015.

HomeLife Carers Limited is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to about 250 people living in their own homes in Tiverton, Crediton and Cullompton areas of Devon and the surrounding villages.

The service has a registered manager. 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 knew about the signs of abuse and where concerns about suspected abuse were identified, they reported them to the local authority safeguarding team. The service worked closely with health and social care professionals to implement measures to safeguard people.

Risk assessments were carried out for each person, which identified steps staff needed to take to promote their safety and welfare. Staff were aware of risks and were taking action to minimise risks and keep each person safe. People received their medicines on time and in a safe way. The agency had robust recruitment procedures in place for recruiting new staff and checks were made to ensure new staff were suitable to work in people’s homes.

People and relatives thought staff had the appropriate skills and training to carry out their role. The provider had a comprehensive training programme. Staff gave us positive feedback about the training and development opportunities at the agency. A range of new training relevant to individual needs of people they supported was arranged over the next few months, for example, supporting people with a learning disability,those living with dementia and with mental health needs.

People confirmed staff sought their consent before providing any care and where people lacked capacity, staff demonstrated a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) (2005) and how this applied to their practice.

Staff developed positive and caring relationships with people. People confirmed staff respected their privacy and treated them with dignity and respect. People’s care was individualised to their needs. People were consulted and involved in their care plans and signed them to confirm they agreed with their content. Care records had detailed information about each person, their needs and preferences and what mattered to them. Care plans were reviewed and updated regularly as people’s needs changed.

People knew how to raise any concerns or complaints and felt confident to do so. Where concerns were raised these were investigated and remedial action taken to make improvements. The provider was open and honest where mistakes had happened, and offered apologies and outlined improvements made.

The culture of the service was open. Care and office staff worked well together as a team. The provider promoted good standards of care by praising and recognising good practice and continuing to develop the staff team. People and staff were very positive about the leadership of the agency and the improvements made over the past year. The provider had a range of quality monitoring systems which included spot checks, regular review meetings, and a range of audits, annual survey and provider visits at the branch office. The service made continuous improvements in response to their findings.