Take 4 Care Ltd is registered to provide personal care to people living in the local community. The service provides care to older people, some of whom may be living with dementia and to younger people who may have a learning disability and/or autism. There were 32 people receiving personal care at the time of this inspection.

The office visits took place on 24 July 2017 and 2 August 2017 and were announced. We telephoned people, their relatives and care workers on 27 July 2017 and 1 August 2017 to obtain their views of the service.

There was 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 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.

We found some issues around medication recording and paperwork without any direct impact on people. The provider responded immediately to safeguard people and improve practices. People were happy with the support they received with regard to medication. Care workers had been trained and their competence to administer medication had been checked.

People were protected from the risk of harm and they told us they felt safe when care workers were in their homes. There were enough care workers to meet people’s assessed needs and to help care for them safely. People were cared for by experienced, supported and well-trained care workers. The service supported people to have as much choice and control over their lives in the least restrictive way possible. People received sufficient food and drink to meet their needs and preferences and their healthcare needs were met where this was required.

Care workers knew the people they cared for well and they were kind, caring and compassionate in their approach. People were encouraged and supported to remain as independent as possible. Care workers ensured that people were treated with dignity and respect and their privacy was maintained at all times.

People and their relatives were fully involved in the assessment and care planning process. Their care plans had been regularly reviewed and updated to ensure they continued to meet people’s changing needs. Complaints were dealt with appropriately and in a timely way.

People were consistently positive about the quality of the service. The registered manager and care workers were committed to providing people with person centred care that met their needs and preferences. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and to drive improvements. The service met all relevant fundamental standards.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.