We inspected this service on 20 July 2017. This inspection was announced. This meant the provider and staff knew we would be visiting the service’s office before we arrived. There were 35 people in receipt of personal care support at the time of this inspection visit. This was the first inspection since the provider’s registration on the 4 August 2016.

The service had 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.

People received care that was planned to meet their needs and received their calls as agreed. Some people told us they were not informed if staff were running late. We fed this back to the management team who confirmed they would take immediate action to address this. Checks were undertaken on staff’s suitability before they began working with people. Staff understood their role in protecting people from harm and people received their medicine as required.

People were supported by staff that received training to improve their knowledge of care and enhance their skills. Staff were provided with supervision by the management team to monitor their conduct and support their professional development. When needed, people were supported to maintain their dietary requirements and preferences and to access healthcare services. Staff supported people to maintain their dignity when providing care and enabled them to be as independent as they could be.

People’s needs and preferences were understood by the staff that supported them and staff were caring towards them. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives because staff understood the importance of gaining consent from people.

People and their representatives were able to review their care to ensure it was still appropriate for them. People and their representatives found the provider approachable and were given opportunities to comment on the care they received and be involved with plans for the future. People knew how to complain and we saw when complaints were made these were addressed. There were audits in place to monitor the quality of the service to drive improvements. The provider understood their responsibilities around registration with us.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.