The inspection took place on 23 March 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of our visit because we wanted to ensure they were available to support the inspection process.

Luv To Care provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. The service provided personal care and support to eight people at the time of our inspection. Mrs Rene Joseph is the owner of the service and the registered provider, referred to in this report as ‘the provider.’ The provider was also involved in the delivery of care to people.

At our last inspection on 6 September 2016, the provider was breaching regulations regarding the management of medicines, recruitment procedures and the induction and training provided to staff.

Following the inspection, the provider sent us an action plan setting out how they would meet the regulations.

At this inspection we found the provider was meeting these regulations. Medicines were managed safely. Medicines records were regularly checked by the provider to ensure they were accurate. The provider followed appropriate procedures when recruiting staff, which included obtaining references. Staff who joined the agency had an appropriate induction and were given enough information about people’s needs before providing their care. The provider had made appropriate training available to staff and had introduced one-to-one supervision, which they said would take place quarterly.

People felt safe when staff supported them. They said staff understood their needs and any risks involved in their care. Risk assessments had been carried out to ensure people receiving care and the staff supporting them were safe. Incidents and accidents were recorded and analysed to identify what action could be taken to be taken to prevent a recurrence. Staff attended training in safeguarding and were aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns they had about potential abuse. People received their medicines safely.

People received consistent care from staff who understood their needs. They said staff had the skills they needed to provide their care. Staff told us the provider always introduced them to people before they began to provide their care. They said the provider enabled them to understand people’s needs and how their care should be provided.

People’s consent to their care had been recorded and people said staff sought their consent on a day-to-day basis. Since our last inspection, the provider had introduced training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 MCA, which they told us all staff completed. The provider understood that mental capacity assessments should be carried out where necessary to establish whether people had the capacity to consent to decisions about their care.

People’s nutritional needs were assessed before they began to use the service and any dietary needs recorded in their care plans. Where people needed assistance with eating and drinking a care plan had been developed to detail the support they required.

The agency worked co-operatively with professionals and people’s families to ensure their healthcare needs were met. Relatives told us staff were observant of any changes in their family member’s needs and said the provider contacted them if they had any concerns about people’s health or welfare.

People were supported by kind and caring staff. People said their care workers were polite, friendly and treated them with respect. They told us their care workers provided their care in an unhurried way and encouraged them to be as independent as possible. Relatives said care workers were caring in their approach and sensitive to their family members’ needs.

People received a service that was responsive to their needs. People’s needs were assessed before they began to use the service and an individual care plan drawn up. People were encouraged to be involved in the development of their care plans and the provider reviewed plans regularly to ensure they cont