About the service: Wisteria Care Agency Limited is a domiciliary care agency. This service provides care and support to older people living in their own homes individually located within the community. The service was providing personal care to 10 people at the time of the inspection.

People’s experience of using this service: People continued to receive a good service. They were safe from harm because of the systems in place. Staff were appropriately trained in safeguarding, which supported this. People's risks were safely managed. Sufficient numbers of staff were employed so that people's needs were met. People were safely supported with their medicines and keeping their homes clean.

Staff were trained and skilled to carry out their roles. They were supported by the management team. People had good relationships with the staff. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the

policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Everyone we spoke with told us staff were kind, caring and understanding. People were respected, as staff upheld their privacy and dignity and encouraged their independence. People told us they received support that met their needs.

Staff provided people with person-centred care based on people's choices and preferences. Documentation reflected this. People were supported to do the things they wanted to. Any dissatisfaction in receiving the service was addressed and resolved. People’s end of life care needs were rarely met by the service staff, as full responsibility for this support was always passed to health care professionals once identified.

People had the benefit of a service that was small and therefore run in a friendly way. The registered manager was open and inclusive in their management style. The registered manager was also the company director, who was supported by a family member with day-to-day running of the service. Together they maintained checks on staff performance and how well the service was delivered. Documents held in the office were secure to ensure confidentiality of people's information.

The service continued to meet the characteristics of good in all areas.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the Care Quality Commission website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: Good. (The last report was published 17 May 2016.)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

This announced inspection took place on 11 April 2016 and was carried out by one inspector.

This was our first inspection of this service since it had been registered with us.

The provider is registered to deliver care and support to people in their own homes in the community. Fifteen people received a service on the day of our inspection. People’s needs related to old age, health conditions, and/or a physical disability.

The manager was registered with us. They and the provider were present during 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.

People and their relatives told us that the service provided to them was safe. Staff had been provided with knowledge to protect people from harm and knew what actions to take in line with safeguarding procedures.

Staff told us they had access to a range of training opportunities to provide them with knowledge and skills to fulfil their role. Staff told us they felt supported and received regular supervision.

Staff had understanding of the principles regarding the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding (DoLS) to ensure that people would not be unlawfully restricted.

People told us that staff supported them with the preparation of meals which they enjoyed.

People told us that they were cared for by staff who were kind and caring.

Staff maintained people’s privacy and dignity whilst encouraging them to be as independent as possible. People told us they were involved in making decisions about their own care needs.

People and their relatives told us they were involved in the planning of their care. Care plans contained individual information about people’s preferences and support needs.

Systems were in place for people to make a complaint. People and their relatives did not have any complaints but if they did they were confident that they would be looked into and dealt with.

People and staff we spoke with spoke positively about the registered manager. The provider actively sought feedback from people and those that mattered to them through questionnaires, home visits and phone contacts about the quality of the service.

The registered manager undertook regular checks on the quality and safety of the service.