This inspection took place on 19 September 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice of our visit because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure that there would be someone at the office at the time of our visit.

LAM Care 24 is registered to provide personal care. The registered location is situated in Derby and provides care to people who live in their own homes in and around Derby and Derbyshire. The service caters for older people and younger adults with needs relating to dementia, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment. There were 29 people using this service at the time of our inspection.

The service had 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.

People using the service and their relatives were positive about the service they received and of the care staff and management team who supported them daily.

Care Staff were aware of their responsibilities for keeping people safe from avoidable harm or abuse. They had received training on the safeguarding of adults and were aware of the procedures they needed to follow should they have concerns about people’s welfare. The management team were aware of their responsibilities for keeping people safe and knew to refer any concerns on to the local authority and Care Quality Commission (CQC).

People had been assessed and the risks associated with their care and support had been identified, reviewed and managed. Care staff received training in the prevention and control of infection and the necessary personal protective equipment was readily available.

There were enough staff employed by the service to support people safely. Care staff were punctual. If staff were running late the office would let people know or would send an alternative carer to ensure they received their care on time. Staff were recruited following a safe recruitment process to make sure only suitable people worked at the service.

Care staff received an induction and training programme, which ensured they were well trained to meet people’s individual needs and work in line with the service’s ethos. People told us they thought the staff were well-trained. The care staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about the people they supported and how best to meet their needs. Training records showed that staff had completed a variety of courses to give them the skills and knowledge they needed to support people effectively.

There were arrangements in place to make sure action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong to sustain and improve safety across the service.

People were supported to choose the food they liked. Staff supported people to maintain good health and access healthcare services when they needed to. Staff understood the importance of monitoring people's well-being and told us what they would do if they had concerns. This included liaising with healthcare professionals and accompanying people to healthcare appointments where appropriate.

People told us the care staff were extremely kind and caring and they were treated with respect. They told us their care and support was provided in a way they preferred and their consent was always obtained. The care staff supported people to make decisions about their day to day care and support. They were aware of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) ensuring people's human rights were protected. We have recommended that MCA assessments are more detailed and follow best practice guidance.

People's preferences as to how they wanted their care and support provided were recorded in their care plans. This meant staff h