The inspection site visit took place on 14 November and was announced. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to adults living in homes. Only one person was receiving the regulated activity of ‘personal care’ at the time of our inspection visit.

When we last visited the service in May 2014, we were not able to carry out an inspection, because the service was dormant; no-one was receiving the regulated activity of ‘personal care’. The service had become active again in August 2017, so we scheduled this first comprehensive inspection under our new methodology.

The registered manager had been registered with us since February 2011. 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 were protected from the risks of harm or abuse because staff were trained in safeguarding and understood their responsibilities to raise any concerns with the registered manager. The registered manager made sure there were enough suitably skilled, qualified and experienced staff to support people safely and effectively.

People and their relatives were included in planning how they were cared for and supported. Risks to people’s individual health and wellbeing were assessed and their care was planned to minimise the risks.

The manager ensured staff had the necessary skills and experience to support people safely and effectively. They observed staff’s practice, arranged for them to attend regular training and supported them to obtain nationally recognised qualifications in health and social care.

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.

People were supported to eat and drink enough to maintain a balanced diet that met their needs and preferences. People were supported to maintain their health.

People, relatives and staff felt well cared for. Staff understood people’s diverse needs and interests and supported them to enjoy their lives according to their preferences. Staff respected people’s right to privacy and supported people to maintain their independence.

People and relatives had no complaints about the service. People and relatives knew the registered manager well and were invited to share their views of the service through conversation and meetings with the registered manager.

The registered manager checked the quality of the service to make sure people’s needs were met safely and effectively. They understood that their personal, professional development enabled them to improve and develop the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below

When we visited Xperience Recruitment Care Agency, we spoke with the registered manager and one care worker. We read the care records for six people who used the service. We spoke with three care staff on the telephone. We gathered evidence of people's experiences by telephoning three people who used the service and three relatives of people who used the service after our visit. We looked at an inspection report completed by the local authority in December 2012.

People we spoke with were positive about the care they received. People told us that care staff had the right training and that their knowledge and skills were adequate. One person told us that, “The staff are good they treat me with respect.” Another person told us that, “They are very good.”

We found there was no policy concerning people giving their consent to care they received and there were no consent documents on people’s care records. However people who used the service told us that they were treated with respect and given choices. One person told us, “They know how I like things done, they are always respectful."

We found that people who used the service did not have written information on how to make complaints. However, people who used the service told us they knew they could raise any concerns with the manager and that they would be acted upon. One relative we spoke with told us, "I only ever had one problem, I told the manager and they sorted it out."

When we visited Xperience Recruitment Limited we spoke with the manager. We also spoke with four members of staff, three people who were using the service and a relative by telephone.

People we spoke with told us that they were happy with the service they were receiving, and that staff were polite and treated them with respect. "The carers are polite and respectful." and "They maintain my husband's privacy when providing his care." were comments made to us.

We saw that people had been assessed prior to using the agency and that care plans were in place. We found that the care plans contained information to assist staff with meeting people's care needs.

We found that the agency sought the views of people with regards to the quality of care being provided.

As the service is still relatively small, and the majority of people do not receive personal care, we had a relatively small group to receive feedback from. We saw one completed feedback form which was very positive in all of its comments. We spoke with two people who use the service who were very positive about it, commenting favourably on the politeness, time keeping and professionalism and competence of staff. Comments included “really good”, “on time”, and “well trained”.