There had been a recent change to the registration of the provider’s services. The provider originally had one service which offered a domiciliary care service and a supported living service. However the provider divided the original service into two separate services. This service is the supported living part of the service and was registered as a separate service on 17 January 2017, however the service had been in operation for many years prior to this.

The service provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. The provider owned three properties where people had private tenancies with the provider. One property was a shared bungalow and the other two properties consisted of self-contained flats. There was a staff room in all three of these buildings, where staff stayed to provide overnight support. Some other people received support in their own homes in the community. At the time of our visit, 25 people received personal care from the service.

The registered manager had been in post since the service was registered. 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 felt safe using the service and staff understood how to protect people from abuse. There were processes in place to minimise risks associated with people’s care to keep them safe. This included the completion of risk assessments to identify and manage risks to people’s health and well-being and checks on staff to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service. People's medicines were managed, stored and administered safely.

There were enough suitably trained staff to deliver care and support to people. Staff received an induction and a programme of training to support them in meeting people’s needs effectively.

The registered manager understood their responsibility to comply with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). For people who were assessed as not having the capacity to make all of their own decisions, records showed that their families, legal representatives and healthcare professionals were involved in making decisions in their best interests. Staff understood the principles of the MCA, they respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care.

People told us staff were kind and caring and had the right skills to provide the care and support they required. Care plans contained relevant information for staff to help them provide the care people required. Staff treated people in a way that respected their dignity and promoted their independence.

People were involved in planning how they were cared for and supported. Care was planned to meet people’s individual needs and preferences and care plans were regularly reviewed. People knew how to complain and had the opportunity to share their views and opinions about the service they received. People led fulfilling lives because they were engaged in activities that were meaningful to them.

People were satisfied with the service and felt able to contact the office and speak with senior managers if they needed to. Staff felt well supported and felt able to raise any concerns. Staff were encouraged to share ideas to make improvements to the service. There were processes to ensure good standards of care were maintained.