This inspection took place on 2, 3 and 6 August 2018 and was announced. This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered in July 2017.

The service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to older people living in their own houses and flats. Not everyone using Radfield Home Care Havering & Brentwood receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.

At the time of our inspection, there were 22 people receiving personal care from the service.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered care homes, 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 and relatives told us they felt safe when receiving care and support from the service. Each person had a risk assessment, which identified possible risk to people and provided guidance for staff on how to minimise the risk. Staff had completed training in safeguarding of adults and were aware of their responsibilities for keeping people safe, and reporting incidents of abuse.

Staff were appropriately checked to ensure they were suitable to work at the service. Arrangements were in place to ensure there were adequate staffing levels at all times to meet people's needs.

Staff were kind, caring and passionate about their roles. Staff maintained people's privacy and treated them with respect and dignity. They enjoyed good support, supervision, motivation and training to gain skills in order to deliver effective care and support.

Equality and diversity was embedded in the ways the service operated from staff recruitment, training and delivery of service.

Care plans were based on the assessed needs of people, which meant that people received personalised care and support. The registered manager ensured that people's preferences of communication were recognised and appropriate support provided so they had access to information.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and people’s capacity to make decisions was assessed when required. They encouraged and promoted people's rights to make their own decisions about their care.

There was a clear complaints procedure in place. People and relatives knew how to make a complaint if they had concerns.

Staff supported people with nutrition and hydration, when needed. Also, staff supported people with their medicines safely, when required.

Incidents and accidents were recorded, reviewed and lessons learnt to improve the service.

The provider worked in partnership with relatives, groups of people in the community and local charities. They also actively sought feedback from people and relatives and carried out regular audits to make sure there was improvement in the quality of the service.