This inspection took place on 7 and 9 September 2016 and was announced.

Positive steps Shropshire provides personal care for people as part of a shared lives and domiciliary care scheme. A shared lives scheme support a variety of different arrangements where families and individuals in local communities can offer accommodation and/or support for people. At this inspection they were providing care and support for 85 people.

A registered manager was in post and present during our inspection. 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 safe as staff had been trained and understood how to support people in a way that protected them from danger, harm and abuse. Environmental risk assessments on individual properties were completed and actions undertaken to reduce the risks to people. Staff had access to care plans and risk assessments and were aware of how to protect people from harm.

The provider completed appropriate checks on staff before they started work to ensure they were safe to work with people. People received help with their medicines from staff who were trained to safely administer these and who made sure they had their medicine when they needed it.

People received care and support from staff that had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff attended training that was relevant to the people they supported. Staff received support and guidance from a management team who they found approachable. People had their rights upheld by staff who knew the appropriate legislation which directed their roles.

People’s likes and dislikes were known by staff who supported them in a way which was personal to them. People had positive relationships with the staff members who supported them. People had their privacy and dignity respected and information personal to them was treated with confidence. People had access to healthcare when needed and staff responded to any changes in need promptly and consistently. People were supported to maintain a diet which promoted well-being.

People were involved in decisions about their care and had information they needed in a way they understood. When people could not make decisions for themselves staff understood the steps they needed to follow to ensure people’s rights were upheld.

People and staff felt able to express their views and felt their opinions mattered. The provider and registered manager undertook regular quality checks in order to drive improvements. The provider engaged people and their families and encouraged feedback. People felt confident they were listened to and their views were valued.