We undertook an announced inspection of V J Carers on 20 April 2017. V J Carers provides personal care services to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 28 people were receiving personal care from the service.

At the previous inspection in April 2016 we found the provider had not acted in accordance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated code of practice. This was a breach of Regulation 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) regulations 2014.

At this inspection we found that the service had made improvements to address the areas of concern and bring the service up to the required standards. The registered manager and staff understood the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and applied its principles in their work. The MCA protects the rights of people who may not be able to make particular decisions themselves.

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 told us they were safe. Staff understood their responsibilities to identify and report all concerns in relation to safeguarding people from abuse. Staff had completed safeguarding training. The service had robust recruitment procedures and conducted background checks to ensure staff were suitable for their role.

Where risks to people had been identified risk assessments were in place and action had been taken to manage the risks. Staff were aware of people's needs and followed guidance to keep them safe. People received their medicines as prescribed. Records confirmed where people needed support with their medicines, they were supported by staff that had been appropriately trained.

People were supported by staff who had the skills and training to carry out their roles and responsibilities. People benefitted from caring relationships with the staff who had a caring approach to their work.

Staff spoke positively about the support they received from the registered manager. Staff had access to effective supervision.

The service sought people's views and opinions and acted upon them. People and their relatives told us they were confident they would be listened to and action would be taken if they raised a concern.

Staff and the registered manager shared the visions and values of the service. The service had systems to assess the quality of the service provided. Learning from audits took place which promoted people's safety and quality of life.

People were supported to maintain good health. Various health professionals were involved in assessing, planning and evaluating people's care and treatment.

We carried out our inspection on 22 April 2016. The inspection was announced.

VJ Carers is a domiciliary care service registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection here were 23 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager who was responsible for overall management of the service and worked closely with the provider. 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.

The provider, registered manager and staff were not clear about their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff had not received training in MCA and care plans did not reflect the principles of the MCA.

The service had a person centred culture which was promoted by the provider and registered manager. The provider and registered manager were approachable and were responsive to any issues raised. People were not always aware of the complaints policy but were confident that any concerns raised would be dealt with promptly.

People and relatives were complimentary about the caring approach of staff and appreciated being supported by regular care staff which enabled them to build meaningful relationships. People received visits on time and staff always stayed for the required length of time.

People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Staff were kind and caring and knew people well. People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were well supported by the management team and felt valued.

Care plans detailed how people's needs would be met. Where risks were identified, care plans did not always contain details of how risks would be managed.

There were systems to audit the quality of the service, however there was no system in place to enable trends and patterns of any issues to be identified in order to improve the service overall.

We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.