Sure Care Chester is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care and support to adults who live in their own homes. The agency is based on the Sealand industrial estate near the city of Chester and currently provides support to sixteen people who have a range of different health and support needs.

The registered manager left the service in August 2016. 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. There is a new manager in place who has recently applied for the registered manager’s position.

The service has not been previously inspected by Care Quality Commission.

People told us they felt safe using the service. The registered provider had a robust process for reporting any concerns they had and for ensuring people were protected from abuse. Staff had been provided with safeguarding adults training and they clearly understood and described what was meant by abuse and the different types of abuse.

The registered provider ensured that robust recruitment processes were followed to ensure staff who were employed were suitable to support the people who used the service. There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to provide people with their planned service. People were provided with the care and support they wanted by staff who had the knowledge and skills required.

People who required support to take their medicines received assistance to do so when this was needed. Care and support plans identified each person’s specific health and care needs to ensure staff were provided with information as to how best to meet people’s needs.

New staff followed the Care Certificate, a universally recognised qualification and the registered provider's induction programme. Essential training to staff was delivered in a range of areas, with updates completed as required. Staff received regular supervisions with the manager to enable them to discuss their role and any areas of personal development.

The manager and staff we spoke with were knowledgeable of, and acted in line with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005). People's human right to make decisions for themselves was respected and they provided consent to their care when needed. Staff we spoke with told us how they sought consent from people before supporting them.

People were happy with the care that they had received and told us staff always treated them with kindness and respect. They told us that staff were mindful of their privacy and dignity and encouraged them to maintain their independence. Family members told us that they had no concerns about the care that people have been given.

Care plans were person centred, detailed and informative. They provided staff with sufficient guidance to ensure people's specific care needs were met during each planned visit. Risks had been appropriately assessed and staff were provided with guidance on how to protect people and themselves from each identified risk.

People were able to influence the way their care and support was delivered and they could rely on this being provided as they wished. People were informed on how to express any issues or concerns they had so these could be investigated and acted upon. The registered provider had a robust policy and procedure and process in place for the management of complaints and concerns.

There was an opportunity for people and their families to give feedback on the service provided. The registered provider used this information to focus on areas of development and improvement.

Quality assurance audits were undertaken by the registered provider and manager to ensure that they service provided was effective and meeting people’s needs. Accidents and incidents were re