Abbey Care Solutions Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. Care and support is provided to people in their own homes. On the day of our inspection, 85 people were using the service.

When we last visited the service it was rated good.

At this inspection we found the service remained good.

People were safe from abuse and bullying. Staff had knowledge of safeguarding and were aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns. The registered manager knew of their responsibilities regarding the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Risks were assessed and suitable control measures put in place, which still enabled people to maintain as much independence as possible. There were sufficient numbers of staff to ensure that people's needs were met and recruitment practices ensured that staff were of good character and suitable for their roles. People were supported to take their medicines safely, if required. Systems were in place to record when medicines were given and were regularly checked to ensure there were no errors.

Staff received an induction and on-going training to make sure they had the right skills and knowledge to provide people with care in their own homes. Staff were well supported and had opportunities to discuss any concerns and training needs they might have.

People are 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.

There were positive relationships between people and members of staff. Staff treated people with kindness and took the time to get to know them and their interests whilst providing their care. The service had involved people in producing their care plans to ensure that care was provided in the way they wanted it to be. In addition, people and their family members were provided with information about the service and what they could expect from them.

The care plans we looked at were detailed. Staff could describe how individual people preferred their care and support delivered and the importance of treating people with respect in their own homes.

The service worked in partnership with community professionals and the local authorities to meet people’s needs.

The provider had a system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received and identified and acted on areas for improvement.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

This inspection was announced and the provider had two days notice of our inspection.

Abbey Care Solutions is a domiciliary care agency supplying care services within a person's own home. Abbey Care Solutions provides care for people of a range of ages and with a variety of different care needs. At the time of our inspection 70 people were using the service.

A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

The service was previously inspected on 04 November 2013. At that time it was not meeting Regulations relating to the management of medicines. During this inspection on 12 August 2014 found that improvements had been made and the service was complying with the law. People told us that they felt safe with staff working for the service and had no concerns about how they were treated. They felt that staff worked in ways that ensured their health and safety.

People’s needs were assessed with their involvement and care was planned and delivered in accordance with their wishes. This showed us that the service sought to work with people and support their needs in ways that they preferred.

Staff had the knowledge and skills that they needed to support people. They received training and on-going support to enable them to understand people’s diverse needs and work in ways that were safe and protected people. Staff had a good awareness of emergency procedures so that they would act properly to support people in the event of an emergency.

When the service took on new staff they ensured that proper checks were carried out to ensure that staff were suitable to work with people.

The service had procedures in place to ensure that when people needed help to manage their medicines, this was done safely with proper records kept.

Staff spoken with demonstrated a caring approach to their role and told us that they enjoyed their work. They outlined their working practices which showed us that staff worked in ways that respected people’s privacy, dignity and individuality.

Records viewed and people spoken with showed that people were able to complain or raise any concerns if they needed to. We saw that where people had raised issues that these were taken seriously and dealt with appropriately. People could therefore feel confident that any concerns they had would be listened to. However, the service needed to improve how they recorded and managed complaints so that they could learn from the issues raised and improve the service.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service. People told us they felt that the service was well led.

During our inspection in November 2013 we spoke with 10 people who received care from this service. In addition we spoke with three members of staff and the manager.

Before people received any care they were asked for their consent and staff acted in accordance with their wishes.

Care was planned and delivered in a way that ensured people’s safety and welfare. Without exception people made very positive comments about the service they received. People told us that the service was, “Excellent” and that they were, “Very happy” with the care they received. One person commented on how reliable the agency was. They said, “I’m so lucky, I don’t need to worry anymore.”

People were not protected against the risks associated with medicines because the provider did not have appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines.

People were cared for by staff who were supported to deliver care safely and to an appropriate standard.

The provider had an effective system in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. We saw that the provider took account of comments to improve the service.

We spoke by telephone with two people who used the service and three relatives. All the people spoken with told us they were satisfied with the service provided. One person said, “The agency was superb. We are more than satisfied with the service received. Staff were mature, punctual, flexible and very professional. My relative plans to use them again.”

People told us that they were involved in decisions about their care and lifestyles and these were respected in everyday practice by staff from the agency. We saw that care records gave staff clear information to help them to meet people’s needs safely.

People also told us that they were supported by regular staff who were reliable and knew their needs and that this was important to them. One person said, “I know who is coming, they work a week and week about. I find it very useful. They know me and know what support I need.” They said that they felt safe with staff from the agency and would feel able to say if there was something they were unhappy about.

We found evidence to show that that checks had been carried out on staff as part of sound recruitment processes. We found that staff were given training when they started working at the service and had opportunities to get to know people and their individual needs.