We inspected the service on 18 September 2018. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice that we would be coming. This was so we could be sure the acting manager and the provider was available to speak with us. The inspection was a comprehensive inspection and was conducted by one inspector.

Unique Senior Care is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. Care staff call at people’s homes to provide personal care and support at set times agreed with them. At the time of our inspection there were 62 people who received personal care from the service.

Not everyone using the service receives the regulated service of personal care. Some people had ‘cleaning’ or ‘shopping’ visits. CQC only inspects the personal care service provided to people, that is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where personal care is provided to people, we also take account of any wider social care provided.

There was no registered manager in post when we inspected the service. A requirement of the service’s registration is that they have 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. Although there was not a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection visit, the provider had allocated an interim manager to oversee the running of the service. A new manager was due to start their employment on 1 October 2018, and would begin their application to register with CQC as soon as possible.

This was the first time the service had been inspected under its current registration. The service had been rated under a different provider in November 2016 where we awarded them a rating of ‘Good’ overall. At this inspection we found the quality of care had been maintained and people continued to receive a service that was responsive to their needs. We have rated the service as ‘Good’ in all areas, giving the service an overall rating of 'Good'.

People were positive about the care they received and were complimentary of the care staff that supported them. People said they felt safe when supported by care staff. Care staff understood how to protect people from the risk of abuse and there were processes in place to minimise risks to people’s safety, which included information about people’s individual risks in their care plans.

Checks were carried out prior to care staff starting work, to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service. New care staff completed induction training and shadowed more experienced care staff to help develop their skills and knowledge before supporting people independently. This ensured they were able to meet people’s needs effectively.

All care staff had been provided with the policies and procedures of Unique Senior Care to support them to provide safe and effective care to people. Care staff received specialist training on how to manage medicines so they could safely support people to take them.

People received a service based on their personal needs and care staff usually arrived to carry out their care and support within the timeframes agreed.

People told us care staff maintained their privacy and dignity. People’s nutritional needs were met by the service where appropriate.

The acting manager and care staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and how to put these into practice. Care staff told us they gained people’s consent before providing people with care and support.

The provider had processes to monitor the quality of the service and to understand the experiences of people who used the service. This included regular communication with people, staff, and record checks. People knew h