Mulberry Home Care Services Limited is a domiciliary care agency that was supporting 14 people at the time of the inspection, nine of whom were receiving personal care. Most of the people using the service were older people although some were younger adults who needed support due to healthcare conditions.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received safe, consistent and well-planned care. People’s care was provided by a small team of staff, each of whom understood their needs and preferences well. This meant that people always received their care from staff who were familiar to them, which they said was important to them.

People told us the care workers who visited them were kind, caring and compassionate. People had developed positive relationships with their care workers and enjoyed their company. Relatives said staff took the time to talk to their family members and expressed an interest in their lives.

Staff treated people with respect and maintained their dignity. People told us staff always respected their privacy when providing their care. The registered manager ensured there was a focus on supporting people to maintain their independence.

Care plans were personalised and reflected people’s individual needs and preferences. People told us they were involved in planning their care. They said they had developed their care plans in partnership with the registered manager. Care plans were reviewed regularly to take account of any changes in people’s needs.

The registered manager had a good oversight of the agency and spoke regularly with people who used the service and their relatives. This regular communication meant that any issues about people’s care were resolved before they became concerns. They agency had a complaints procedure which was given to people when they began to use the service.

Staff received all the training they needed to provide people’s care. This included a comprehensive induction when they joined the agency during which they got to know the people they would be caring for. The registered manager provided good support to staff through regular individual and team meetings. Staff spoke highly of the support they received from the registered manager to carry out their roles. They told us the registered manager was always available for advice and support when they needed it.

The agency employed enough staff to meet all scheduled care commitments. Checks were carried out on prospective staff to ensure they were of good character and suitable to work in health and social care. Staff received safeguarding training and understood their responsibilities to report any concerns they had about people’s safety or well-being. Staff were confident that any concerns they raised would be managed appropriately by the registered manager.

People’s needs were assessed to ensure the agency could provide the care they needed. Risks to people and staff were assessed and managed well. Medicines were managed safely. Staff helped people keep their homes clean and maintained appropriate standards of infection control.

The registered manager and staff worked effectively with other professionals to ensure people received the care they needed. Staff had liaised with GPs, district nurses, pharmacists about people’s health and medicines.

The service met the characteristics of Good in all areas; more information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection:

This was the first inspection of the agency since its registration with CQC on 22 January 2018.

Why we inspected:

This was a scheduled inspection based on the date the service was first registered with CQC.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through notifications and communication with partner agencies such as local authorities and other commissioners. We will inspect the service again according to the rating achieved at this inspection unless we receive information of concern, in which case we may bring the next inspecti