We undertook an announced inspection of Phoenix Care At Home Limited on 18 September 2016. We told the provider two days before our visit that we were coming to make sure that someone would be available to support the inspection and give us access to the agency's records. We did this as the agency is small and the director and registered manager both help provide direct care to people. Phoenix Care At Home Limited provides personal care services to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, 30 people were receiving a personal care service from the agency. The service was supporting people with a range of needs, including older people who were frail and/or living with a dementia type illness, people with physical disabilities and people living with ongoing chronic health needs.

The last inspection was completed in February 2014 where we found the service to be fully compliant in the areas we inspected.

The agency 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.

The leadership and management of Phoenix Care At Home Limited was strong and very responsive to people’s needs. The ethos of the service was to provide high quality and person-centred support to people. The registered manager and director led by example, working alongside a committed staff group. The ethos and values were owned by management and care staff alike, ensuring people were at the heart of everything they did. This was evident by the effective ways the agency listened to people and welcomed feedback. People’s views and opinions were used to drive up improvement. Staff were well trained and supported and this enabled them to deliver the best possible care to people. Staff consistently said the agency was a ‘‘Great place to work.’’ Staff felt valued and appreciated and were therefore willing to help out when there was sickness or holidays. There had been no missed visits.

People repeatedly praised the kindness and compassion of staff, one person said ‘‘The staff are excellent. I would give them 10 out of 10. Always polite and very kind. They do any extras and go that extra mile for me.’’

In the feedback we obtained during the course of this inspection, we were given numerous examples of times when staff had gone above and beyond people's expectations to provide truly personalised care. This included fundraising to purchase a wheelchair accessible vehicle so people could be supported to go on holiday, for trips out or simply to attend health appointments. One example given was where staff had supported a person to attend a family occasion. The member of staff went back, out of the normal working hours, to provide transport for the person back to their home.

Management and care staff had a good understanding of people's needs and wishes and consistently went the extra mile to communicate with and support them effectively. Where it was clear people’s needs had changed, the registered manager and director worked with the person and their family to check if the package of care needed changing to accommodate their additional care needs. Staff said the agency was very responsive to their feedback.

People and their relatives recognised and appreciated these efforts which allowed them to receive their support in a way that made them feel safe and in control. One relative told us, “Phoenix Care are not the cheapest, but they are the best. They have matched up a lovely care worker for my (relative) I know they are safe and I can have peace of mind when I go out.’’

People were protected by the robust recruitment systems which ensured only suitable people were employed to support them. The registered manager was committed to only accepting new c

We visited the registered office having given short notice as the agency is small and we wanted to ensure there would be staff available to speak to. We looked at four care plans and care files in detail. We also looked at staff training records, policies and procedures and records relating to how people were being supported to take their medications.

We spoke with eight people who received a service and with three relatives of people who received a service. Everyone we spoke with were complimentary about the care and support provided. Comments included ''I have no complaints, they are first class.'' One relative said ''They are very good, they understand what needs to be done and get on, it gives me a peace of mind.''

We found that care and support was being well planned in a person centred way ensuring the needs and wishes of people were fully considered and detailed within their care plans.

Staff supported people appropriately with their medications as they had clear policies and procedures in place and received regular training to ensure they were competent.

We spoke with four staff who confirmed the agency provided good support and training to ensure they could do their job safely and effectively. We saw training records and staff supervisions supported this.

We found the agency had a robust complaints process and always investigated any concerns or complaints promptly with people being responded to in writing as well as verbally. People we spoke with said they felt any concerns they raised would be listened to and acted upon.

We carried out this unannounced inspection on 29 October 2012. We spent time at the registered office talking with one of the managers and looking at some of their key documents. These included care plans, risk assessments, staff recruitment files and quality assurance processes.

We spoke with four people who use the service and with two care staff. We heard that people felt that the care and support given by the agency was person centred and met their needs. Comments included '' This is one of the best agencies. I have no problems. They do exactly what they need to do and the staff are all very good.'' Another person said ''They are always very kind and caring. You could not ask for better.''

We saw that care and support was well planned, with people being involved with deciding how their care should be delivered. Where risks were identified, plans were in place to minimise those risks.

We saw that the service had robust recruitment processes in place. These help to protect people. Staff all have received training in the protection of vulnerable adults and understood what the processes were for reporting any concerns. This also helps to keep people safe.

The agency had developed ways of making sure people had their say, via surveys, care plan reviews and more informal get togethers with other people and care staff. The service reviewed how it works on a regular basis to ensure that they continue to provide quality care and support to people.