This comprehensive announced inspection took place on 31 August 2018. We gave the provider 72 hours’ notice as the service provides care and support to people living in their own homes and we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available to assist with the inspection. This was the first inspection of the service since we registered it in July 2015. Until recently, the service was not providing personal care to clients and we were not able to inspect it. At the time of this inspection, the service was supporting three people living in their own homes.

This service 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 older people. Not everyone using Salus Care Ltd receives a 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.

The service 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. The provider appointed a manager who registered with the care Quality Commission in January 2018.

The provider had systems to protect people from abuse, care workers had completed safeguarding training and knew how to use the provider’s procedures to raise any concerns.

The registered manager assessed possible risks to people using the service as part of their initial assessment and kept their assessment under review.

The provider carried out checks on new care workers to make sure they were suitable to work with people using the service.

The provider had a policy and procedures to make sure people received their medicines safely and as prescribed and were protected by the prevention and control of infection.

The registered manager assessed people’s choices, care and support needs to make sure they received the care they needed.

Care workers had completed the training they needed to deliver effective care and support.

Where people needed support with nutrition or health care needs, the provider included this in their care plans and gave care workers clear guidance on meeting their needs.

The provider assessed people’s capacity to make decisions about the care and support they received. The registered manager and care workers understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People using the service and their relatives told us their care workers were kind and treated them with respect and compassion.

The provider supported people to express their views.

Care workers knew the people they supported well and spoke about them with fondness. They also understood the need to respect people's confidentiality and not to discuss issues in public or disclose information to people who did not need to know.

People using the service and their relatives told us people received care which met their needs and reflected their care plans. They said they received regular care visits, at the right time from care workers who carried out the instructions in their care plans.

People’s care plans detailed what they could do for themselves and where they needed support. The plans also outlined the person's preferences and routines so the care workers had information about how they preferred to receive care and support.

Care records covered a range of topics including health care, personal care, mobility, medicines management and nutrition. The daily logs care workers completed at each visit indicated they followed people's care plans and people received the care and support they needed.

People’s care records also included information about t