About the service: West Sussex Domiciliary Care Services provides personal care and support to people living in Extra Care Housing, across two sites, in Burgess Hill and Lindfield. The service supports older people and younger people with physical disabilities. At the time of the inspection 45 people were receiving a service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People were receiving a good service, more information is in the full report.

• The provider had not fully implemented the Accessible Information Standard (AIS). This meant that the information and communication support needs of people were not always identified, recorded, flagged and shared. Staff knew the people they were supporting well and the registered manager took immediate steps to address this shortfall. We did not judge that there had been a negative impact on the care people received and have identified this as an area of practice that needs to improve.

• People were receiving a personalised service. Staff knew people well and provided person centred care that was responsive to people’s needs and wishes. One person told us, “The care is fantastic.” People were supported to follow their interests and to join in with social events organised within the extra care scheme. Any complaints were responded to quickly and people were confident that their concerns would be addressed. People were supported with end of life care.

• Staff understood their responsibilities for safeguarding people and people told us they felt safe. One person said, “I have no worries because I know the carers would help me.” Risks to people had been assessed and care plans guided staff in how to support people safely. There were enough staff to cover all the care visits. People said that staff were punctual and stayed for the time they expected. Medicines were administered safely. Incidents and accidents were recorded and monitored.

• Staff received the training and support they needed. People told us they had confidence in the skills of the staff. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink and to have access to health care services. Staff understood their responsibilities to comply with the Mental Capacity Act. People’s needs had been assessed and their views and choices were considered when developing care and support plans. Staff described effective systems for communication.

• People were supported by staff who knew them well. They told us that staff treated them kindly, with respect and compassion. One person commented, “Everyone is kind and considerate.” People’s independence was promoted and there were effective systems to maintain confidentiality and protect their privacy. Staff told us they had time to support people with their care and to make decisions. People said they were never rushed. A relative told us, “I think the care is amazing, they really care about my relation.”

• People, relatives and staff spoke highly of the management of the service. They described a well managed, supportive service with visible managers who were approachable. People told us the service had improved and they were happy with the care they received. There were effective systems in place to monitor quality and the registered manager used this information to drive improvements and to enhance people’s quality of life.

Rating at last inspection: This service was registered with CQC on 12 April 2018. This was the first inspection since the service became registered.

Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection.

Follow up: Ongoing monitoring.