This comprehensive inspection took place on 13 and 16 November 2018 and was announced. This was the first inspection of In Home Care Chichester since it was registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 9 February 2017. New services are assessed to check they are likely to be safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led when registering.

In Home Care Chichester is a domiciliary care agency (DCA) and it provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to support people who require a range of personal and care support related to personal hygiene, mobility, nutrition and continence. Some people were living with early and advanced stages of a dementia type illness or other long-term health related condition. The DCA provides 'live-in' support for people who want care staff available throughout the day and night. Not everyone using the service received the regulated activity.

CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of this inspection the service provided personal care to 10 people.

A registered manager was in post. 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 protected from harm. Staff received training and understood how to recognise signs of abuse and who to report this to. Staffing levels were sufficient to provide safe care. The provider had an effective recruitment process to make sure the staff they employed were suitable to work in a care setting. When people were at risk, staff had access to assessments and understood the actions needed to minimise harm. The service was responsive when things went wrong, were open and reviewed practices and had a robust system in place to manage incidents. Medicines were administered and managed safely.

People and their relatives had been involved in assessments of care needs and had their choices and wishes respected, including access to healthcare when required. The service worked well with professionals such as nurses, doctors and social workers. Care and support was provided by staff who had received an induction and on-going training that enabled them to carry out their role effectively. Staff felt supported by the registered manager. People were 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.

People and their relatives described the staff as caring, kind, and compassionate. People could express their views about their care and felt in control of their day to day lives. People had their dignity, privacy and independence respected and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to this.

People were involved in developing their care plans which were detailed and personalised to ensure their individual preferences were known. If a person's needs changed then their care plans were updated.

The service had an effective complaints process and people were aware of it and knew how to make a complaint. The service actively encouraged feedback from people. No one was receiving end of life care at the time of the inspection.

The service had an open and positive culture. Leadership was visible in the service and promoted inclusion. Staff spoke positively about the management team. There were quality assurance and auditing processes in place and they contributed to service improvements. Action plans were carried out and those responsible kept things up to date.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.