About the service:

YourChoice Devon Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the South Devon area. At the time of our inspection 20 people were receiving personal care. This is the first inspection of the agency since they were registered in 2018.

People’s experience of using this service:

The service provided safe and effective care to people. People told us they were confident that they were in safe hands. One person said “I always feel safe with my carers. Absolutely.” Care had been taken when recruiting staff to make sure applicants were entirely suitable. New staff received training and supervision to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs safely.

People were confident care staff always arrived on time, stayed for the right length of time, and never missed a visit. People received care from a small team of care staff they knew and trusted. One person said, “They always phone me when a new carer is coming.” People told us the care staff were always kind and respectful.

People’s needs were assessed before the service began and care plans were drawn up. Any risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and staff knew the actions they needed to take to keep people safe. Where people needed assistance from staff to help them manage their medicines, staff were well-trained and followed safe procedures.

Care plans and daily records were kept up to date and gave staff good information on people’s health and personal care support needs. A person said, “The owner visits and reviews my plan. He’s on the ball.” Where people needed assistance to prepare meals, care staff knew their likes and dislikes and dietary preferences.

Care staff were overwhelmingly positive about the management of the service and told us they were well supported. Comments included, “YourChoice Devon is a great company to work for” and “I couldn't be happier to be part of the company which really do put everything into meeting our client’s needs and wants. I've never felt so appreciated or happy in a work environment.” Staff received good training and were confident the service was well managed.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the service and make sure all areas were working smoothly. People were confident they could raise any concerns or complaints with the provider and these would be addressed promptly. Comments from people we spoke with included, “I can’t find any faults.”

Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered on 22 June 2018

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection.

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.

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