We carried out an inspection of Promedica24 (Lancashire) Limited on 23 and 24 January 2018. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice to ensure that the registered manager would be available when we visited.

Promedica24 (Lancashire) Limited is a live-in care service. It provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. It provides support to people with a variety of needs, including people with a physical disability, sensory impairment, younger adults, older people and people living with dementia. Care workers are recruited by the provider in Poland to support people in the UK. Each care worker supports a person for a period of between six and twelve weeks in their home. Staff then have a break of between one and three months, when a different member of staff provides support. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care and support to 16 people.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager at the service who had been registered with the Commission since January 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.

This was our first inspection of this service. During the inspection we found that the provider was meeting all regulations.

The people we spoke with told us staff provided them with 24 hour care and were available to support them when needed.

People told us they felt safe when staff supported them. Staff had a good understanding of how to safeguard adults at risk and told us they would report any abusive practice to their personal care manager.

Records showed that staff had been recruited safely and staff told us they had received an effective induction. Staff received regular supervision and their practice was observed to ensure they were providing safe care. Staff told us they felt well supported by their personal care manager and the registered manager.

We found evidence of safe medicines processes and practices. However, additional information relating to dosage instructions needed to be included on people’s medicines administration records (MARs). We were assured that this would be addressed. Staff had completed medicines management training and their competence to administer medicines safely was assessed regularly. People told us they received their medicines when they should.

People were supported with their nutrition, hydration and healthcare needs. Staff sought medical attention and referred people to community healthcare professionals when appropriate. Community health and social care professionals gave us positive feedback about the service.

People were happy with the care and support they received from the service. They told us their care needs were discussed with them and they were involved in decisions about their care.

People liked the staff who supported them and told us they were caring. They told us staff respected their right to privacy and dignity when providing care and encouraged them to be independent. We found evidence that people’s confidential information was protected.

We found that people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff understood the main principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). They sought people’s consent before providing support and supported people to make everyday decisions about their care. Where people lacked the capacity to make decisions about their care, their relatives had been consulted.

People told us they knew who to contact if they had any concerns or if they wanted to make a complaint. We found evidence that the complaints received had been investigated and responded to appropriately.

Peo