This inspection took place on 24 May 2017 was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be at the office.

Adaptus Cares Limited is registered to provide personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The office is based in the city of Leicester. At the time of our inspection there were 68 people using the service. People’s packages of care varied dependent upon their needs. The provider employed five staff.

This was our first inspection of the service since they registered with us on January 2016.

A registered manager was 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.

People told us they felt safe. Relatives felt their family members were safe and happy with the service being provided. People’s safety was promoted by staff who understood their responsibility to protect people from avoidable harm and provide safe care that was responsive to people needs. Risks were managed so that people were protected from avoidable harm whilst promoting their choices and independence. People were supported with their medicines in a safe way.

There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs and staff were recruited through safe recruitment practices. Staff received induction and ongoing training for their role. Staff were supervised and their work was appraised through regular meetings and staff also had their competency and practice checked to ensure they were safe to meet people’s needs effectively.

People’s rights were protected and respected. Staff worked with each other and with people, their relatives and health care professionals to ensure decisions made were in people’s best interests. Information about advocacy services was made available. People were supported, where required to meet their dietary needs and maintain their health and wellbeing.

People’s privacy and dignity was respected and staff understood their role in enabling people to maintain their welling. People had developed positive relationships with staff and the management team. Staff were knowledgeable about people's preferences and how they wished to be supported, which promoted their wellbeing.

People were involved in the development of their care plan. People’s needs were continuously reviewed so that they were able to respond to people’s changing needs. A system was in place to ensure staff had the right skills including any known preferences such as language skills to provide the support people needed. This helped to ensure people received a service that was responsive and personalised to meet their diverse needs.

People knew how to complain and were confident that their complaint would be addressed. A complaint process was in place and staff knew how to respond to complaints.

The provider was meeting their regulatory responsibilities. The registered manager provided good leadership and direction. People and their relatives were involved or had opportunities to be involved in the development of the service. The provider’s quality assurance systems in place monitored the quality of service and were used to develop the quality of the care provided.