The inspection was announced and took place on 4 and 5 April 2017. Vicarage Homecare provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was supporting 35 people. This was the services first inspection since they registered with us.

There was a registered manage in post at the time of the inspection. 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 felt safe with the staff who were supporting them. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been recruited safely. Staff understood how to keep people safe from harm and understood how to manage people’s individual risks. There were systems in place to promptly identify and manage late calls. People who were supported by staff to take medicines received them as prescribed by staff that had been trained and assessed as competent.

People were supported by staff that had the skills, knowledge and support to provide personal care. People’s rights were protected as the provider was appropriately applying the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and people were asked for their consent to care and support. People who were supported by staff to prepare and cook meals were provided with choices, and staff were aware of people’s specific dietary requirements. People were supported to maintain good health.

People told us staff were kind and caring and felt they were treated with respect. People were encouraged and supported to make day to day decisions about their care and support. Staff promoted people’s privacy and dignity and encouraged their independence.

People were supported by consistent staff who understood their needs and preferences. People and their relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care. Care records were updated regularly to reflect people’s changing needs. Staff were informed of any changes to people’s needs to ensure they provided effective care. People knew how to raise a concern or complaint and there was a system in place to ensure complaints were appropriately managed.

Most people we spoke with felt the service was well managed and told us they would recommend the service. The provider had systems and processes in place to monitor the quality and consistency of the service which were effective at identifying required improvements. There were processes in place to enable people, relatives and staff to provide feedback on the service and this information was being used to make improvements. Staff had a good understanding of their roles and felt supported by the registered manager. The provider was appropriately notifying us of event they were required to do so by law.