Wight Home Care Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. It provides a service to older adults, people living with dementia, mental health impairments, physical disabilities, sensory impairment and younger adults.

Not everyone using Wight Home Care Limited received a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. This inspection was undertaken on 12 and 15 March 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice of our inspection as we needed to be sure key staff members would be available.

At the time of the inspection approximately 140 people were receiving a regulated activity from Wight Home Care Limited.

At the last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns.

A registered manager was in post. 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.

We received positive feedback from people about the service. People who used the service expressed satisfaction about care staff, office staff and the management team. All the people and family members who were asked if they would recommend the service to others said they would.

People and their families told us they felt safe. Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and knew how to prevent, identify and report abuse. Risks relating to the health and support needs of the people and the environment in which they lived were assessed and managed effectively. There were safe medication administration systems in place and people received their medicines when required.

Safe recruitment practices were followed and appropriate checks were undertaken, which helped make sure only suitable staff were employed to care for people in their own homes. There were sufficient numbers of care staff to maintain the schedule of visits.

The provider and staff understood their responsibilities to protect people from the risk of infection. There was an infection control policy in place which was followed by staff and staff undertook training in this area.

Staff completed an induction programme and were appropriately supported in their work by the management team. People and their families described the staff as being well trained and they were confident in the staff’s abilities. The provider has a robust training system in place and all staff had received training as required.

Staff and the management team, knew how legislation designed to protect people's rights affected their work. They always asked for consent from people before providing care.

Where people required support with eating, drinking or meal preparation this was provided. Care plans contained information about any special diets people required, food preferences and support needs and staff were aware of people's dietary needs.

People who used the service felt they were treated with kindness and said their privacy and dignity was respected. Staff knew the people they provided care to well and understood their physical and social needs. Staff were able to describe how to meet people’s needs effectively. Staff understood people’s healthcare needs and people were supported to access healthcare professionals when needed.

People were supported to use technology and specialist equipment to meet their care needs and to support their independence where appropriate.

People and

Following the inspection visit to the agency office we arranged to telephone people who used the service. We were assisted by two experts-by-experience who had previously used similar services. They contacted 18 people who use this service to obtain their feedback. They also spoke with 4 relatives of people who used the service. All of the people they spoke with were happy with the service and said their care needs were met. One person said “we struck gold really…we’ve been delighted with them". Another commented “they are so reliable and really lovely people".

Care plans and risk assessments were in place and these were reviewed regularly. Care was planned and discussed with people who received the service. One person said “I have got a care plan and every now and then my Care Co-ordinator comes and we…go through everything". Another commented “I have a care plan and they show it to me so I know what is going on". People told us they got to know their carers well and they were informed if carers were running late or there was a change to their regular carer.

People said they felt safe with care staff. One person said “I know them all and trust them like my own family". The service had a policy for safeguarding vulnerable adults and staff we spoke with were familiar with this.

Systems were in place to induct and train staff and we saw evidence these were up to date. Spot checks and supervision were regularly carried out to ensure quality of care. Quality assurance procedures were in place, including consultation with people who used the service or their relatives. People using the service and staff were confident that concerns reported to the manager were acted on quickly. This meant people using the service and staff could influence the service provided by the agency.

The inspection was carried out on the 16, 30 September and 1 October 2015. Forty eight hours’ notice of the inspection was given to Wight Home Care as we needed to be sure that the staff and managers we needed to speak to would be available. Wight home Care provides a personal care service to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection approximately 200 people were receiving the service.

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 said they felt safe with care staff and that their care and support needs were met by kind and compassionate staff. Care staff were trained to recognise abuse and report it promptly. There were enough staff employed to ensure people’s care needs were met and an emergency response team enabled the service to cover staff absence without disruption to the service.

Staff worked in local teams which meant they got to know people well and people received their care from a consistent group of care staff. Staff supported people to eat and drink and access healthcare when this was required.

People’s right to choose was respected and staff obtained people’s consent before providing care. They felt respected and involved in their care and that their opinion was important.

People were treated as individuals and felt involved in their care planning. Their preferences were respected and staff enabled them to remain as independent as they could be. If people had concerns or complaints these were addressed quickly and effectively by the registered manager.

Staff and people using the service felt it was well-led. The registered manager and provider were available to provide support to staff. Staff were able to contribute to the development and improvement of the service people received. People’s feedback was sought and acted on.

Management staff carried out quality assurance visits to people receiving care and audits were carried out on records of care delivery. The provider was actively involved in several local initiatives to improve the lives of older people.