This announced inspection took place on 4 and 5 December 2017. We visited the office on 4 December 2017 and carried out phone calls to people who used the service and their relatives on 5 December 2017. The service was registered in December 2016 and this was their first inspection.

Teign Angels 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 younger and older adults. Not everyone using Teign Angels receives 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. At the time of this inspection 17 people were receiving personal care from the service. People who use the service live in Newton Abbot and the surrounding areas.

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.

People were supported by a strong, stable staff team who knew them well and focused on ensuring they received the highest quality of care. Without exception, we received excellent feedback from people who used the service, their relatives and representatives, and community professionals. Comments included, “This company have gone well beyond all that is asked of them. I would highly recommend them, 10 out of 10”, “We are extremely impressed with their openness and willingness to go the extra mile”, “They put the care back into caring”, and “It’s the little things that make all the difference”. Community professionals said, “The staff go above and beyond and look at what is needed at each visit” and “I would happily use this agency for one of my relatives.” Staff were highly motivated and had gone out of their way to support people in their own time. We found many examples of how the staff had gone above and beyond to support people and their families. For example, staff had taken people’s washing home to make sure they had fresh bedding and clothing, cared for one person’s dog because they were admitted to hospital in an emergency, and carried out small repairs in people’s homes.

The registered manager told us their focus was on caring and people were put at the centre of the service. They said, “Through our recruitment we are looking for carers who have a passion for care, to have a caring nature and understand the importance of the little things.” People said, “I look forward to them coming. They’re extremely kind, thoughtful and caring” and “They make sure they take on the right people for the job.” These views were reflected in the complimentary letters that had been received by the service. One relative said, “Their bright and smiley presence brings much joy to the house, and the loving care administered makes my mother feel very special.” Another relative said, “She really loves the trips out and sees the staff as friends.” All staff told us they enjoyed their role and were passionate about delivering excellent care for each person. Comments included, “I always think how would I like to be treated” and “My managers and the rest of the staff are very genuine and caring and I would gladly put my parents in their loving and professional care.”

People told us they felt safe and comfortable when staff were in their home and when they received care. People were provided with a copy of the staff rota so they knew who was due to visit them. Staff knew how to recognise signs of potential abuse and understood how to report any concerns in line with the service's safeguarding policy.

Safe staff recruitment procedures were in place. This helped reduce the risk of