The inspection took place on the 3 May 2018. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of the inspection because the service provides care to people in their own homes and we wanted to make sure that staff would be available in the office on the day of the inspection. This was the first inspection of the service.

Right at Home Barnet and Edgware is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to adults, some of whom live with dementia and/or may have a sensory impairment or physical disability.

Not everyone using Right at Home Barnet and Edgware received regulated activity; the Care Quality Commission (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 the inspection there were nine people receiving assistance with their personal care.

At the time of the inspection there was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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. Approximately two weeks after the inspection we were informed that the registered manager had left the service. The managing director told us that they were in the process of recruiting a new manager and until then he and another director would be managing and running the service.

People using the service and their relatives informed us that they were happy with the care and the other services that they received. People received consistency of care from staff that they knew.

People told us that staff were caring and reliable and always respected their dignity and privacy. Staff knew the importance of respecting people’s differences and human rights.

People told us that staff treated them with respect and they felt safe when staff supported them with their care and other tasks. Arrangements were in place to keep people safe. The service had a safeguarding policy and procedure. Staff knew how to identify abuse and understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding people and reporting concerns.

Risks to people’s safety and from their home environment were identified and guidance was in place to minimise the risk of people and staff being harmed. Arrangements were in place to make sure medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed.

The organisation carried out appropriate checks to reduce the risk of employing staff that were not suitable to work with people using the service.

There were enough staff in place with the right skills mix to meet people's needs. The provider made sure that care staff were compatible with the people they cared for. Staff understood the importance of obtaining people’s consent before supporting them with personal care and other tasks.

People and where applicable their relatives were fully involved in making decisions about people’s care. Staff listened to people, respected the choices they made and supported people’s independence.

People, who received support with their meals, had their nutritional needs and their individual dietary preferences and needs assessed and met. The service liaised closely with healthcare and social care professionals to make sure people’s needs were met.

People were consulted about their care. Their care plans were person centred and included detailed information about people’s care needs and preferences, so staff had the information they needed about how best to support them.

People and their relatives had opportunities to feedback about the service and were confident that any issues they raised would be addressed.

Staff received tr