The inspection took place on 11 & 14 October 2016 and was unannounced.

The agency was last inspected on 04 & 08 September 2014 and met the standards required by legislation at that time.

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.

Accurate records were in place to monitor people’s assessed risks, support and ongoing care needs.

Arrangements were in place to manage people’s medicines safely which included staff training.

Excellent staff recruitment was in place and thoroughly explored people’s suitability to work for the agency.

People’s care plans guided staff on how a person liked and wished to be supported.

The agency had superb links with a range of healthcare and professional agencies so that people were supported with all aspects of their health and wellbeing.

Care records documented that without exception people and/or their relatives had been involved in the care planning process.

Staff received training and support which met and matched people’s individual needs.

Staff performance was monitored and reviewed during supervisions, appraisals and spot checks to make sure staff were competent and confident providing effective care and support.

Staff took the time to get to know people well and to understand their needs.

Staff valued the experiences of those they supported.

Care records were reviewed and kept up to date to meet the person’s current needs.

Staff knew their responsibility to report poor care practice or suspicion of harm.

There were effective joined up quality monitoring systems in place to assess the quality of the service provided and ensure best possible practice.

People using the agency and their relatives felt listened to.

People using the service and the carers told us that they felt valued.

Staff working at Professional Carers felt supported and enabled by the management to fulfil their role and enrich people’s lives.

We spoke with one person who used the service and four relatives involved in people’s care. They told us they were happy with the care provided. One relative said: “I think they are very reliable and they turn up on time.” Another told us “I would recommend the service, the staff are very good.”

We looked at a sample of six care files and found there were clear guidelines for carers as to what level of care and support was required for each individual. People we spoke with confirmed they were involved in the care planning process.

We found that Professional Carers had complaints and safeguarding vulnerable adults procedures in place. We found that the agency carried out appropriate recruitment checks before employing staff and provided support and training to enable them to look after the people in their care.

We spoke with three people who use the service. They said they were very happy with the standard of support they received and had no concerns to raise. They said the staff were always friendly and professional and they had never been treated badly. Some comments made were:

"The staff are very kind and professional, they do their job well.”

“The staff are very very good.”

“I am very pleased with everything.”

“The staff are always very prompt, I am quite happy with the service.”

“The staff are very, very good”

“I am very pleased with everything.”

“The staff are very good.”

We spoke with three relatives of the people using the service. Relatives of the people using the service said that a good standard of care is provided and they were happy with the way their relative was being supported. They said they had never seen any signs of abuse or neglect and were aware of the agency's complaint procedure. Some comments made were:

"The staff are smashing, they are all marvellous."

"The staff are kind and respectful."

"Some staff are brilliant. Some are better than others."

"I have never come across a nicer bunch of people.”

“The staff are always pleasant and polite.”

"I would recommend this agency to anyone, it is very efficient and I am very pleased with the service."

We spoke with one health care professional involved in the service. The manager said she was very happy with the service provided by the agency. She commented, "I meet regulary with the manager and I am very pleased with how things are going. Our service provides regular staff training and assess staff on their competency to carry out their work. Staff are willing to listen and learn and there is always open discussion. I have no problems at all."

The Wirral Council contract team had no concerns about the serivce provided by the agency.

The inspection was conducted by a single inspector who gathered evidence against the outcomes we inspected to help answer our five key questions; Is the service caring? Is the service responsive? Is the service safe? Is the service effective? Is the service well led? We visited the service on 4 September 2014 and telephoned staff, people who used the service and their relatives, on 5 and 8 September 2014 in order to gain their views on it.

We last inspected this service in September 2013 and found that action was needed to address issues around respect and involvement, consent to care and treatment and to the assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision. During this visit, we saw evidence that the provider had addressed these issues and that the service was now compliant.

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary is based on our observations during the inspection and speaking with five people who used the service and two of their relatives and five staff supporting them. We reviewed twelve care plan files and eight staff files, along with other records.

If you want to see the evidence supporting our summary please read our full report.

Is the service safe?

People told us they felt safe. Safeguarding procedures were robust and staff understood how to safeguard people they supported.

People told us that they felt their rights and dignity were respected.

Systems were in place to make sure that managers and staff learned from events such as accidents and incidents, complaints, concerns, whistleblowing and investigations. This reduced the risks to people and helps the service to continually improve.

Recruitment practice was safe and thorough. No staff had been subject to disciplinary action. Policies and procedures are in place to make sure that unsafe practice is identified and people are protected.

Is the service effective?

People’s health and care needs were assessed with them, and they were involved in writing their plans of care. People said that their care plans were up to date and reflected their current needs. One relative told us, “They take the strain off me”.

Is the service caring?

We asked people and their relatives for their opinions about the staff who supported them. Feedback from people was positive, for example, one person told us, “They are lovely and polite”. We read in an annual questionnaire that a person had written, “They are not just my carers, they have become my friends. I look forward to their visits”.

When speaking with staff it was clear that they genuinely cared for the people they supported.

People using the service and their relative completed an annual satisfaction survey. Where shortfalls or concerns were raised these were taken on board and dealt with.

People’s preferences, interests, aspirations and diverse needs had been recorded and care and support had been provided in accordance with people’s wishes.

Is the service responsive?

We saw that the provider responded to people’s needs and queries. People knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy. People were assured that complaints were investigated and action taken as necessary. The service worked well with other agencies and services to make sure people received care in a coherent way.

Is the service well-led?

The service was managed by a registered manager. It had a quality assurance system. We were shown records which demonstrated that identified problems and opportunities to change things for the better, were addressed promptly. As a result the quality of the service was continuously improving.

Staff told us they were clear about their roles and responsibilities. Staff had a good understanding of the ethos of the service. This helped to ensure that people received a good quality service at all times.