North Kirklees Domiciliary Care Services is registered to provide personal care to people living with a learning disability and/or autism. This service provides care and support to people living in two 'supported living' settings, so that they can live in their own home as independently as possible. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Not everyone using North Kirklees Domiciliary Care Services receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. The service also supported a few people living in accommodation within the local community. On the day of our inspection ten people were supported with personal care.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good. The service met all relevant fundamental standards.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

Staff understood how to keep people safe and were aware of the process to follow if they had any concerns. Risks had been assessed and recorded to ensure people were protected from harm and positive risk assessment was used to enable people to develop new skills.

The registered manager and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People 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.

Staff received on-going support from the management team through a programme of regular supervisions and appraisals and they had been trained to ensure they had the knowledge and skills to care for people.

People were treated with dignity and respect by staff who demonstrated a kind, caring and compassionate approach. Staff understood people’s needs and involved others who were important to them in the planning of their care and support. Staff sought out activities people enjoyed and encouraged people to experience new opportunities in line with their expressed wishes.

The service had an open and inclusive culture and people, and staff were positive about the

way it was managed. The registered manager was visible in the service and communication was open, honest and transparent. Staff had clear direction and were sure about their roles and responsibilities.

Systems and processes for ensuring the quality of the service were securely and effectively in place. Issues identified were addressed in a timely manner. People's feedback was sought in order to improve the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

The inspection took place on 19 November 2015 and was announced .

The service was last inspected on 18 March 2014 and met all the relevant requirements.

North Kirklees Domiciliary Care Services provides a domiciliary care service to 38 people living with a learning disability or autism. The service provides support 24 hours a day to people living in two housing association properties. The main office is located within one of these buildings. The service also provides support to people living in their own homes in the area. On the day of our inspection 11 people were supported with personal care.

The service had a registered manager who had been in post since 2011. 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.

Staff were trained and

had a good understanding of how to identify abuse and act on any suspicion of abuse. They were able to use appropriate policies and procedures to ensure the people who used the service were safe.

Risks were managed

 positively to ensure the people the service supported were not overly restricted in their everyday lives and to enable people who used the service to be more independent.

Staff were supported to perform in their roles by receiving appropriate training, supervision and appraisals. There was a culture of learning from experience to promote best practice within the service.

Staff had received training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005. There were detailed capacity assessments in people’s files but no system for recording the best interest decision. This was raised with the registered manager who agreed to action this immediately.

People who

used the service were supported to maintain healthy lifestyles and attend appointments with other health professionals.

We observed staff treated people with dignity and respect. Privacy was respected and the service emphasised the importance of promoting independence for the people who used their service.

Assessments and care plans were person centred and emphasised the views and preferences of the people who used the service. Care plans were reviewed and updated at regular intervals and when people’s needs changed.

People were supported to undertake interests and activites of their choice.

The culture of the organisaiton was open with an emphasis on improving practice and learning from incidents to benefit the people using the service.

Audits were undertaken regularly to ensure compliance and the safety of the people using the service and the staff.

People who used the service and their relatives told us how much they enjoyed living there and how confident they felt in the management team.

When we visited the service in July 2013 we were unable to find evidence within staff personnel records to show that effective recruitment and selection processes had been followed. We said we were concerned about this and improvements were needed.

We went back on this inspection to check whether improvements had been made.

We looked at the personnel records of four staff who worked at the service. We found they contained documents to show that appropriate checks had been carried out. This meant staff were being properly checked to make sure they were suitable and safe to work with adults at risk.

We contacted 16 people who used the service following our visit. They all told us they were happy with the support they received from the service. One person told us 'I have no complaints at all. The staff are very nice and they help me with my money'. Another person told us 'I have used the service for two years, its an excellent service. I get support with my bills, the staff are very friendly'.

We visited one of the people who uses the service with one of the support workers. They told us that they were happy with the support they get and liked the staff. We also observed good interaction between the individual and the member of staff.

We also looked at two quality monitoring forms that had been completed since January 2012 to see what people thought of the service. These are some of the comments that were made:

“My support worker is brilliant. I am happy with my support and don’t want to change anything.”

“If I wanted to make any changes in my life I would talk to the staff.”

“If I wanted to arrange a meeting I would talk to the manager.”

“I know how to make a complaint.”

“I am happy with everything.”

“I have information about abuse. I would talk to staff if I had any problems.”