House of Care Services is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. Care staff call at people’s homes to provide personal care and support at set times agreed with them. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people who received personal care from the service.

There was a registered manager in post when we inspected the service. A requirement of the service’s registration is that they have 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.

We last inspected this service in June 2015 when all five key areas were rated as ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the quality of care had been maintained and people continued to receive a service that was responsive to their needs. We continue to rate the service as ‘Good’ in all areas, giving the service an overall rating of 'Good'.

People were positive about the care they received and were complimentary of the care staff that supported them. People said they felt safe when supported by care staff. Care staff understood how to protect people from the risk of abuse and there were processes in place to minimise risks to people’s safety, which included information about people’s individual risks in their care plans.

Checks were carried out prior to care staff starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service. New care staff completed induction training and shadowed more experienced care staff to help develop their skills and knowledge before supporting people independently. This ensured they were able to meet people’s needs effectively.

All care staff had been provided with the policies and procedures of House of Care to support them to provide safe and effective care to people. Care staff received specialist training on how to manage medicines so they could safely support people to take them.

People received a service based on their personal needs and care staff usually arrived to carry out their care and support within the timeframes agreed.

People told us care staff maintained their privacy and dignity. People’s nutritional needs were met by the service where appropriate.

The registered manager and care staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and how to put these into practice. Care staff told us they gained people’s consent before providing people with care and support.

The provider had processes to monitor the quality of the service and to understand the experiences of people who used the service. This included regular communication with people, staff, and record checks. People knew how to raise concerns if needed.

This inspection took place on 2 June 2015. The inspection was announced. The provider was given three days’ notice of our inspection. This was to ensure the registered manager was available when we visited the agency’s office, and staff were available to talk with us about the service. At the last inspection in December 2013 we found the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

House of Care Services is a small domiciliary care agency which provides care for people in their own homes. Some people received support with several visits each day, and some people received support 24 hours a day. On the day of our inspection the agency was providing support to two people.

A requirement of the provider’s registration is that they have 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. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager at the service. We refer to the registered manager as the manager in the body of this report.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe using the service. Staff understood how to protect people they supported from abuse. People and their relatives thought staff were kind and responsive to people’s needs.

The management team carried out regular checks on care staff to observe their working practices and to ensure records were completed accurately. There was an ‘out of hours’ on call system in operation, this ensured management support and advice was always available for staff.

Staff were inducted and trained, so they had the skills they needed to meet the needs of people they cared for.

Management and staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA), and supported people in line with these principles. Where people had been assessed as not having capacity to make decisions, decisions had been taken on their behalf that were in their best interest.

People told us they knew how to make a complaint if they needed to. They were confident that the service would listen to them and they were sure that their complaint would be fully investigated and action taken if necessary.

Staff, people and their relatives felt the management of the service was open; people found the manager and staff approachable. Positive communication was encouraged and identified concerns were acted on quickly.

There were procedures in place to check the quality of care people received, and where systems required improvements the provider acted to make changes.

At the time of our inspection, House of Care Services had five people who used the service and four carers working from the Coventry office. During our visit, we spoke with the care co-ordinator. After our visit, we spoke over the telephone with one person who used the service, relatives of two people who used the service and three care staff.

People told us that their care and support needs had been agreed with them and their family when the service started. We were told copies of care plans were available in people’s homes.

One relative told us: “They are excellent.” Another relative said: “They couldn’t be more helpful.”

The files we looked at contained care plans that were personalised and included people’s preferences.

People told us care staff were able to do everything they needed within the allocated time. They also said staff took their time and did not rush. One relative said: “They are very efficient, but never hurry X.” People said that care staff did things in the way they preferred and respected their opinions.

Records showed the agency had systems in place to monitor the care provided and for managing identified risks. People said they were happy with the care they received.

People told us staff were pleasant and helpful. People told us they felt safe with staff.

People told us that their care and support needs had been agreed with them and their family when the service started. We were told copies of care plans were available in people’s homes.

One relative told us, “They are very easy to work with, both in the office and their carers are wonderful.” Another relative said, “The carers even turned up on time in the recent bad weather.”

The files we looked at contained care plans that were personalised and included people’s preferences.

People told us care staff were able to do everything they needed. They also said staff took their time and did not rush. One relative said, “They put our minds at rest.” People said that care staff did things in the way they preferred and respected their opinions.

Records showed the agency had systems in place to monitor the care provided and for managing identified risks. People said they were happy with the care they received. One relative said, “They are wonderful.”

At the time of our inspection, the agency had 11 people using the service.