ABC Centre is a domiciliary care service registered to provide personal care. This service, provided by Brunelcare at the ABC Centre was called extra care housing. People using the service receive personal care from the provider in their apartments for which they have a separate tenancy agreement with the housing provider. At the time of our inspection 44 people in the apartment complex were receiving personal care.

We carried out this unannounced inspection on 28 July 2017.

At our last inspection in April 2016 we found two breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. One was because people were not protected against risks associated with medicines due to the lack of proper and safe management systems. The other was because people were not protected against risks associated with the lack of proper auditing of medicines management systems.

At this inspection we saw the provider had taken the action they had identified in their action plan. As a result improvements had been made and the service was no longer in breach of these regulations.

We did not find any breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 during this inspection.

There was a registered manager in post at 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. 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. The manager had registered with CQC in September 2016.

Medicines were well managed and people received their medicines as prescribed. The registered manager and staff understood their role and responsibilities to keep people safe from harm. Risks were assessed and when required plans put in place to keep people safe. There was enough staff to safely provide care and support to people. Checks were carried out on staff before they started work with people to assess their suitability.

The service was effective in meeting people’s needs. Staff received regular supervision and the training needed to meet people’s needs. Arrangements were made for people to see healthcare professionals including a GP when they needed to do so. The service complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

People received a service that was caring. They were cared for and supported by staff who knew them well. Staff treated people with dignity and respect. People’s views were actively sought and they were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Information was provided in ways that were easy to understand.

The service was responsive to people’s needs. People received person centred care and support. Where it was part of people’s care package the service offered a range of activities and encouraged them to maintain their hobbies and interests. People were encouraged to make their views known and the service responded by making changes.

The service was well led. The vision, values and culture of the extra care housing service were clearly communicated and understood by people, staff and others. The registered manager provided good leadership and management. An effective quality assurance system was in place. This meant the safety and quality of service people received was monitored on a regular basis and where shortfalls were identified they were acted upon.

This inspection took place on 4 April 2016 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of our intention to undertake an inspection. This was because the organisation provides a domiciliary care service to people in their own homes and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office.

This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered with us.

ABC Centre provides personal care for tenants living at ABC Centre. At the time of our inspection there were 39 people were being supported with personal care at the service.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated regulations about how the service is run.

The system for administering medicines was not effective at keeping people safe from potential risks. The administration records did not ensure that people received their medicines safely and as prescribed. We also identified errors with the proper administration specialist medicines. The risks associated with medicine administration identified during our inspection meant that there was not effective and safe management of medicines.

This was in breach of The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and you can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.

People told us they felt safe. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and how to protect people from harm. There were plans in place to identify risks due to people’s health or mobility and to make sure these were minimised without intruding on people’s privacy and independence. Staff told us they liked working at the service and that there was good team work. Staff were supported through training, regular supervisions and team meetings.

The manager and staff were aware of the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). DoLS are safeguards put in place to protect people where their freedom of movement is restricted. There were no restrictions at the time of our inspection and we were assured that appropriate action would be considered if any concerns about this were identified.

People were supported to maintain their health and had access to services such as a GP or dentist when needed. Where people needed support with eating and drinking appropriate professionals were involved.

There was a caring and friendly atmosphere in the service. People told us that staff were kind and that their privacy and dignity were respected. Care plans were person centred and showed that individual preferences were taken into account.

Care plans gave clear directions for staff about the support people needed to have their needs met.

People’s needs were regularly reviewed and appropriate changes were made to the support people received.

People had opportunities to make comments about the service and how it could be improved.

The manager was new in post and had a clear vision about how they wanted the service to develop. Staff told us that there was a culture of respect and their priority was to deliver person centred care.

The provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of care and to review if improvements had been made.

We identified that the provider was not meeting regulatory requirements and was in breach of a number of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.