JW Homecare is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. People who use the service are provided with a range of hours of support per day or per week in line with their assessed needs. The office base is located in Skelmersdale.

At our last inspection in November 2015 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good. There was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

JW Homecare had systems in place to record safeguarding concerns, accidents and incidents and take necessary action as required. Staff had received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report unsafe care or abusive practices.

Staff responsible for assisting people with their medicines had received training to ensure they had the competency and skills required.

Risk assessments had been developed to minimise the potential risk of harm to people during the delivery of their care. These had been kept under review and were relevant to the care provided.

People who received support in their own homes or a supported living house and their relatives told us they felt safe in the care of JW Homecare staff. A relative said, “It does comfort me knowing [relative] is so well cared for.” In addition, we saw good systems to manage, review and learn lessons from accidents and incidents within the service.

People living in supported housing and in the community, 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. We found the management team had obtained each person’s consent to care, or their representatives where this was applicable.

Where applicable, we saw care plans evidenced staff worked with people to develop a healthy lifestyle. They were supported with their cooking skills by helping to make meals of their choice.

Care plan information focused on a person-centred method of supporting people. In addition, information contained what support was required to maintain their independence within their own home and in supported living houses.

During the inspection visit to supported living houses we observed staff being kind and attentive to people in their care. They were caring, patient and respectful. Comments we received confirmed that.

People supported by the service told us they were treated with respect and by caring staff. Comments received included, “The people who come and look after me are truly wonderful. Nothing is too much trouble and if they have to stay a little longer that is never a problem.”

Staff spoken with and records seen confirmed a structured training and development programme was in place. Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and social needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

The agency was supporting a small number of people at the time of our inspection and we were not able to speak directly to people who used the service on this occasion.

We found that people were involved in decisions about the service and the service was centred around people's individual needs.

We looked at the care plan for one person who used the service. The care plan was very detailed and this indicated that the person's preferences and choices had been listened to and were being respected and acted upon.

Appropriate procedures were in place with regards to the administration and recording of medication.

Staff felt well supported and appropriately trained. Communication across the staff team was good and staff were being provided with regular supervisions and team meetings.

We found that staff were supporting the aims and objectives of the service in encouraging people to make choices, use their skills, and participate within their local community.

The quality of the service was being assessed and monitored on a regular basis and people's views about the service were being used to make improvements.

This was an announced inspection carried out on 16 and 20 November 2015.

JW Homecare Ltd is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. People who use the service are provided with a range of hours of support per day or week in line with their assessed needs. The registered office is located in the Kirkby area of Knowsley. At the time of this inspection the service was supporting six people with their care and support needs.

A registered manager was 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.

At the previous inspection of the service in May 2013 we found that the registered provider was meeting all of the regulations that we assessed.

During this inspection we found that systems were in place to keep people safe. These systems included safe medicines management and assessing and minimising risks for people during their day to day life.

People were protected from safe recruitment practices that ensured appropriate checks had been carried out prior to a member of staff starting their role.

Each person who used the service had a care plan that detailed their care and support needs. Care plans contained specific information about individuals’ that staff needed to know about when they were delivering people’s care and support.

A detailed complaints procedure was in place and people told us that they would be happy to speak with staff if they had a concern or were not happy.Systems were in place to ensure that people’s decision making was supported by the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This included procedures that were in place to assist people in decision making when they were assessed as not having the capacity to make specific decisions.

People were supported by staff who received regular training and support for their role. This helped to ensure that people received safe and effective care and support from a well trained staff team.

A service user hand book was available to people who used the service. The information in the hand book gave people information about what services they could expect from JW Homecare Ltd.

Policies and procedures were in place to support and guide staff on best practice for their role.  Having access to this information helped ensure that people received the care and support they required as staff had up to date knowledge on best practice.