Platinum Care Solutions provide personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 35 people using the service.

This inspection took place on 16 and 21 November 2016 and was announced. We last inspected this service in November 2013, at which time we found them to be meeting all the regulations.

The service had a manager who intended to apply to become the registered manager with the Commission. However the service had been without a registered manager since April 2016 which is a condition of their registration. 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 told us they felt safe living at their homes with support from staff. Staff understood their responsibilities to report any safeguarding concerns to the manager.

People and staff told us they felt there were enough staff employed at the service and we confirmed this through records.

Risks had been identified and measures put in place to minimise the risks to people and staff, although the process around risks needed to be updated. We have made a recommendation about this.

Policies and procedures were in place to support the smooth running of the service and these were in the process of being updated. Personal emergency evacuation plans were in place and regular checks on the safety of people’s homes were carried out.

People told us that staff managed their medicines safely although records needed to be improved. We have made a recommendation about this.

Accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored and where appropriate, care records showed that risks associated with individual care needs had been assessed and were monitored.

There was evidence to demonstrate that regular reviews of people's needs were carried out and the information was passed onto the support workers and other health and social care professionals where appropriate. Regular surveys were used to gather feedback from people about the service they received.

People told us they were supported by staff to maintain a well-balanced healthy diet. We found staff were trained and received induction, supervision and annual appraisal from the management team.

People were respected and their dignity was maintained. Staff displayed kind and caring attitudes and treated people as individuals. People’s care needs were detailed, recorded and reviewed by staff with input from people, relatives and other relevant individuals. Three staff were nominated for the regional 'Great British Care Awards', with one making it through to the finals after winning the regional event.

Staff offered people a choice in all aspects of daily life. Staff promoted social inclusion and supported people to maintain links with family and friends where possible. People told us they knew how to complain and would feel confident to do so if necessary.

Staff told us they worked well as a team. They felt supported by the manager and the provider who staff said were approachable and made them feel valued.

Audits and checks of the service were in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service, although the provider did not always fully record the checks that they had completed. We have made a recommendation about this.

At the time of the inspection Platinum Care Solutions Limited was providing personal care and support for four people. We talked with one person using the service who said the agency was “very, very good – marvellous. As far as I’m concerned there’s nothing I would change.”

We spoke with the home care supervisor, the recruitment administrator and support worker, the office advocate and the training manager. One staff member told us “It’s very supportive here. There’s always someone to talk to, even out of hours.”

People were informed about the service provided, and were involved in their care.

We looked at three care files, for people with varying support needs. We found that the planning and delivery of care promoted peoples’ choices, dignity and independence, and was flexible to meet their needs.

People who used the service were protected because there were good systems in place to make sure staff were aware of the possibility of abuse and knew what action to take in the event of a suspicion or allegation.

There were effective systems in place to ensure people were safe because staff were subject to rigorous recruitment procedures and a thorough induction.