VIP Home Care Service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 49 people were provided with personal care.

The inspection took place on 13 December 2017 and was announced.

At the last inspection on the 12 and 15 December 2014, the service was rated Good; at this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People felt comfortable and safe in the company of staff who came into their homes and people were staff knew how to reduce risks to their safety when providing care. Staff were able to describe in detail the needs of people they supported and how to support people’s safety from potential abuse or neglect. Staff showed an awareness of the risks to people as these had been identified, assessed and were regularly reviewed. The registered manager shared learning from incidents and accidents to learn from these to assist in reducing the risks of similar occurrences from happening.

Environmental risks were assessed and any identified hazards to people who used the service and staff were reduced as far as possible. Staff were provided with the knowledge and equipment to reduce the risks of the spread of infections.

There were sufficient staff and people’s planned home care calls had been reliably completed. Efforts had been made to ensure wherever possible people were provided with care and support from staff they knew well in order to promote continuity of care for people. Background checks had been completed before new staff had been appointed to reduce the risks to people’s safety of being supported by unsuitable staff in their homes.

People benefited from having their specific needs met by staff who were supported and trained to ensure they had the skills to assist people effectively. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible. People were able to make decisions about how they wanted to receive support to ensure their health needs were met.

People who required assistance to eat and drink plans were in place to meet their individual needs and preferences. Staff linked in with healthcare professionals when people required support to maintain their health and wellbeing. People received assistance where required to take their medicines by staff who had been trained to do this and records were kept to reflect this was done safely.

People had built caring relationships with regular staff who provided their support. Care was planned and reviewed with people and the registered manager and their staff team ensured people's choices were followed. People's privacy, dignity and independence were respected and upheld by the staff who supported them. The registered manager had arrangements in place so confidential information was kept private.

People had care plans which included information about how they preferred to be supported. Changes in people’s needs were reviewed so they continued to receive care which was responsive to each person’s needs. People were confident to voice their complaints should they have any and these were investigated and responded to in line with the provider’s policy.

People’s views about the quality of their home care service were sought and their contribution supported the continual development of the services offered. The registered manager had a variety of quality checking and monitoring arrangements which supported them in identifying where improvements could be made. Staff and the registered manager had common values about keeping people at the centre of the care and support service they received in their own homes.

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Further information is in the detailed findings below.

This was an announced inspection. This meant the service was given short notice that we would be visiting the office from where the care was organised. The inspection took place on 12 and 15 December 2014. This is a small domiciliary care service that provides personal care to 16 people in their own homes. Services provided are for adults who may have a range of needs including dementia, mental health, physical disability or sensory impairment.

We last inspected this service on 10 October 2013. The provider was not meeting all the requirements of the law at that time because appropriate checks had not been undertaken for all care workers to ensure they were suitable to work with people in their own homes. At this inspection we saw that improvements had been made by the provider by ensuring all care workers had the required checks in place prior to working with people.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our 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.

All the people we spoke with said they received a safe service. We saw that safe systems were in place to ensure that people were protected them from harm or abuse of themselves, their home or possessions. Risks to people’s safety in their own home had been assessed and managed appropriately to help ensure that they were safe.

The provider had systems in place to ensure that there were sufficient care workers to provide support to people in their own homes. People had experienced a reliable service with no late or missed calls. People described the service as flexible and able to meet their increased demands when they needed this.

Care workers had been recruited following appropriate checks on their suitability to support people in their home and keep them safe. People told us care workers were trained and professional in the manner they carried out their care tasks. We saw that care workers had received the training, development and support they needed to ensure they did their job well and provided an effective service.

People told us that they were happy with the way in which care workers helped them with their meals and in accessing health care services when they needed them.

All the people we spoke with told us they had a good relationship with their care worker who supported them and were pleased they generally had the same care worker for continuity.

People said they were able to make their own decisions about their care and were actively involved in how their care was planned and delivered.

People were confident to raise any concerns or complaints and told us these had been positively received and responded to.

Everyone we spoke with told us the manager was committed, passionate and a good carer who had high standards. People said they received a good quality service and that the manager regularly checked with them their views about their experiences.