Independent Home Living (Scarborough) is a domiciliary care service which provides support to people who live in their own homes.

The provider is registered to support people with a wide range of needs including dementia, learning disabilities, autistic spectrum disorder, mental health conditions, older people, and people who have physical disabilities. The service supports people who live in and around Scarborough.

We inspected the service on 31 October, 1 November and 22 December 2017. The provider was given 48 hours' notice of our visit; because we needed to be sure that someone would be in the location's office when we visited. At the time of our inspection, there were 58 people using the service, 70% of whom who were receiving support with personal care, primarily the service supported older people and adults with physical disabilities.

At the last inspection in January 2016, the service was rated Good overall. At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

The service had 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.

Staff demonstrated knowledge of how to support people who may be vulnerable. They were able to identify elements of potential abuse and neglect and they knew how to report incidents. They knew the people they supported well. People we spoke with told us they felt safe, respected and well cared for.

Staff had good shared knowledge about people’s needs. They worked well together as a team, sharing knowledge and idea’s which would enhance the service.

All staff that were employed at the service were recruited safely. References were sought prior to employment commencing and employment checks were completed to support the registered manager in making safe decisions about who they employed. A comprehensive induction and training package was available to all staff and they were supported through regular supervision and appraisal.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and encouraged them to remain independent. Staff understood that people should be consulted about their care and they understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Best interest decisions involved people’s representatives when required.

Staff worked in a person centred manner and treated people with dignity and respect. Staff had positive, genuine relationships with the people they supported. People were treated with kindness and compassion and they told us staff were caring.

Care plans were centred on the needs and preferences of the person and detailed individual requirements. Care plans were regularly reviewed and kept up to date when people's needs changed. People were involved in devising their care plan and they had active input into the reviews of their care. People’s choices and preferences were valued and recognised.

We received consistently positive feedback from people who used the service, their relatives and friends and visiting professionals. People knew how to complain and they were confident that any complaint made would be dealt with.

The registered manager supported the staff to be effective in their role. Staff told us the manager was responsive to their needs and very supportive.

The provider sought people’s views on the service through surveys and questionnaires. Where issues were identified the provider took action to resolve them.

The registered manager and the provider completed regular audits and quality assurance checks of the service and this supported them to identify and resolve potential service issues at an early stage.

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All the people we spoke with said that staff gave them explanations, asked questions before carrying out support and always listened to what they said. Everyone we spoke with was happy with their support and the service they received from the agency. One person told us “I am very pleased with them”. Another person told us “Overall I have been happy with everything they have done for me”.

All the care plan files we looked at had the appropriate amount of detail and information in relation to the level of need and complexity of the care and support. Staffing levels were seen to be appropriate and were closely monitored.

There were systems in place to allow for staff and people who used the service to give feedback. One new staff member said “I think the communication is great, it is definitely two way”. We spoke with people who used the service about opportunities to give feedback or raise any suggestions or concerns. One person told us “They always listen to me and take action when it’s needed”. The quality of the service was monitored by managers. There was an effective complaints system in place. Records were detailed and were managed and stored appropriately.

People using the service told us that the carers visit when they should and stay for their allotted time. People told us that the staff were respectful and that they could select the gender of their carer if they wished. They knew that staff kept records about them and were confident that if they had any concerns about the service that the manager would sort it out. All of the people we spoke with told us they felt safe when the carers were in there home.

Staff told us that they received good support from the management team. They told us that the management team had changed in the last year and that since the change they had more confidence in the management of the service. They told us that they felt able to approach the management team if they needed any support. They also told us they accessed training on a regular basis, especially in topics specific to the people they were looking after.

The inspection took place on the 08 September 2015 and 10 September 2015. It was announced. This means the provider was given 2 days’ notice due to it being a domiciliary care provider and we needed to ensure someone was available. We last inspected Independent Home Living Scarborough on 20 August 2013. They met the standards fully at that time.

Independent Home Living (Scarborough) provides personal care and support to people in their own homes in the borough of Scarborough. The office is based on the north side of the town close to good transport links allowing people to call in to the office if they are seeking support.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the inspection. However we were informed by the organisation that the acting manager who is currently responsible for the day to day operational management of the Scarborough branch on behalf of the providers A New Angle Ltd would be seeking registration and the current registered manager would be stepping down.

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.

The service was safe. Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to ensure that people’s care was delivered as planned.

Risks to people were assessed and managed well. Staff understood how to keep people safe from harm, and report any concerns. The service had systems in place to ensure people received help with their medication when they needed it and the recording of support with medication was good.

Staff had a good range of training to help them provide the care that people needed, and the manager had planned ongoing training for the staff. Staff reported they felt supported by the management team to do their jobs well and received guidance about their work as they needed. People who used their service were consulted and gave their consent to the care offered, and they received the support they needed to lead a healthy lifestyle with good diets.

Staff were introduced to people so that good working relationships could be established at the outset of care being provided. People reported that the staff were caring and did their jobs well. Records showed that people were involved in their care and various procedures were in place to ensure their views were valued and respected. Care was reviewed in a timely manner. People told us they were treated with dignity and respect, and policies and procedures placed expectations on staff to ensure that they treated people well.

The agency was responsive to people’s needs. They had personalised care plans in place that detailed people’s wishes in respect of the care they needed. They regularly sought feedback from people who used the service via questionnaires which asked how care was going and what improvements could be made. Care coordinators regularly got in touch with people who used the service and visited them to see how their needs were being met. People were given good information about how to make a complaint if they needed to and they told us they were confident that the organisation would handle any complaint well.

The organisation had a number of policies in place that set out their expectations about how staff should engage with people who used the service and ensure their needs were met. The organisation had policies and procedures that ensured staff knew of their obligations about raising any issues or concerns, and they included mechanisms for staff to report serious concerns outside of the organisation if needed.

There was strong management in place provided by the manager. Staff felt supported by management to perform well in their role and to raise any issues or concerns they had. There were systems in place to audit various functions of the agency to ensure people received good quality consistent care. People using the service, staff and other agencies were consulted about the service provided and how this could be improved.