The inspection took place between 18 November 2016 and 23 November 2016 and was announced.

Access Dignity provides care and support to people living in the Tendring area of Essex, covering Frinton-on-Sea, Kirby, Walton-on-the-Naze and Clacton-on-Sea. At the time of our inspection Access Dignity provided a service for 47 people with care packages that totalled approximately 400 hours per week. These care packages ranged from short visits by one member of staff twice a day to more complex care that required two members of staff carrying out longer visits up to four times a day.

There was a registered manager in post. 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. The registered manager was assisted in the day-to-day running of the service by one of the directors and the office administrator who worked together to provide strong management.

People were safe because the management team and staff understood their responsibilities to recognise abuse and. keep people safe. People received safe care that met their assessed needs and staff knew how to manage risk effectively.

There were sufficient staff who had been recruited safely and who had the correct skills and knowledge to provide care and support in ways that people preferred.

The provider had clear systems in place to manage medicines and people were supported to take their prescribed medicines safely.

People were supported effectively with their health needs.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the operation of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and we found that the provider was following the MCA code of practice.

The management team supported staff to provide care that was centred on the person and staff understood their responsibility to treat people as individuals.

People were treated with kindness and respect by staff who understood their needs and preferences. Staff respected people’s choices and took their preferences into account when providing support. People were supported to access the local community so that they were not socially isolated.

Staff had good relationships with people who used the service and understood their needs. People’s privacy and dignity was respected.

There was an open culture and the management team supported staff to provide care that met people’s needs.

The provider had systems in place to check the quality of the service and take the views of people into account to make improvements to the service. There were systems in place for people to raise concerns and there were opportunities available for people to give their feedback about the service.

The management team were visible and actively involved in monitoring people’s care and supporting staff. Staff were positive about their roles and their views were valued by the management team.