We carried out this announced inspection between 10 and 25 May 2017.

The registered provider for the service changed in May 2016. This was our first inspection of the service since the new provider was registered.

Premier Care Limited - Cumbria Branch provides personal care and support to adults living in their own homes. The agency is based in Kendal and provides support to people living in Kendal, Barrow-in-Furness, Dalton and the surrounding areas. At the time of our inspection the service was providing support to 66 people.

There was a new manager employed to run the agency. The new manager was in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission. The previous registered manager left the service in April 2017. 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 received a good quality service from staff who they knew and liked. The staff were well trained to be able to provide people’s care safely and to a high standard. People were treated with kindness and looked forward to the staff visiting their homes.

People were safe receiving support from the service. Hazards to people’s safety had been identified and managed and they were protected against the risk of harm.

Medication was handled safely and people received the support they required with taking their medicines.

People were protected from abuse. New staff were recruited safely to ensure they were suitable to work in people’s homes. There were enough staff to provide the support people required.

People’s rights were protected. They made decisions about their support and the choices they made were respected. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and the staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Where people required help to access health care services, this was provided.

People were treated with respect and their privacy, dignity and independence were respected. They were asked for their views about the support they received and knew how they could complain about the service if they needed to.

People were included in planning and agreeing to the support they received. The staff knew how to support individuals because this was detailed in care records held in their homes. People’s care records were reviewed regularly to ensure they remained up-to-date to guide staff.

There were appropriate arrangements for the management of the service. There was a manager in post, supported by two care coordinators. People knew the management team and found them to be friendly and helpful. The management team had good systems in place to maintain oversight of the quality of the service.