About the service: Reliant Care Ltd is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes and in supported living settings. Most people who used the service lived with mental health needs. Reliant Care Ltd provided a mental health step down service that supports people to develop the skills and confidence that they need for living independently in the community. Reliant Care Ltd also provided a service for people who have learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder and other needs including those who misused drugs and alcohol. We were informed that two people currently received help with their personal care. There were occasions when other people using the service required prompting in relation to their personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were provided with a service that was personalised, met their individual needs and preferences and prompted their independence.

Staff knew people well and understood their needs. Staff were provided with the training, support and guidance they needed to carry out their role and responsibilities. This included providing people with individualised care and support.

People’s care was planned with the involvement of people using the service. People were encouraged to make decisions about the support that they needed from staff and to make choices about their lives.

People received consistency of care and support from a staff team that communicated well with each other about people’s needs. Staff told us they were kept well informed about people’s current needs and always reported any changes in people’s needs to the registered manager and to other staff.

People told us that they were satisfied with the service they received. We saw staff engage with people in a respectful and friendly way. Staff listened to people and respected the choices they made about their day to day lives.

There were opportunities for people to follow their interests and take part in activities that they enjoyed. People were supported to develop their skills so that they were more able to live independently within the local community.

Staff we spoke with understood the importance of respecting people's privacy and dignity. They had a good knowledge of people’s equality and diversity needs and spoke of the importance of respecting people’s differences.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The service assessed and managed risks to ensure that people received personal care and support safely.

Systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality and delivery of care to people and drive improvement. Development and improvements to the services were made when needed.

People had opportunities to provide feedback about the service that they received, and action was taken to address any concerns.

The provider had systems in place to manage and resolve complaints.

Rating at last inspection: This was the service's first inspection.

Why we inspected: We inspected the service as part of our inspection schedule methodology for new registered services which had not been rated before.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk