The inspection took place on 12 July 2017 and was announced. The provider was given short notice of our visit in line with our current methodology for inspecting domiciliary care agencies. The last comprehensive inspection took place in February 2015, when the provider was meeting the regulations.

Age UK Doncaster is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people living in their own homes. The office is situated close to the town centre of Doncaster. Support packages are person centred and based on the individual needs of people who use the service

At the time of our inspection 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 on leave at the time of our inspection and therefore other members of the management team were involved in the inspection.

The service had a procedure in place to safeguard people from abuse. Staff we spoke with knew the procedure to follow if they suspected abuse was happening.

We looked at care records and found they included risks associated with people’s care. Risks identified had a plan in place to minimise the risk from occurring.

Staff we spoke with told us they had enough time to complete the calls given to them. They had a call monitoring system in place which alerted the office if the care worker had not arrived at the call. The office staff were then able to ensure the call was covered.

The provider had a medication policy in place and staff were trained in the safe handling of medication. Care records included a section about how the care workers should support people to take their medicines.

The service had a safe recruitment system in place. This enabled the provider to select staff who were suitable for the role.

Staff received training and support which gave them the skills and knowledge to complete their role well. Records of training attended were maintained and updated when staff completed further training. Staff felt their managers were approachable and supportive.

The management team and staff we spoke with understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. They spoke with us about the importance of gaining consent prior to delivering care.

Some people required support to ensure they received their meals. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s needs in this area and told us they left drinks and snacks for people where required.

Staff told us that they would seek the guidance of healthcare professionals as required.

We spoke with staff and they told us how they ensured people’s privacy and dignity was maintained. Staff were respectful of people’s home environment and told us they always knocked on the door before entering their property.

We looked at care records belonging to people who used the service and found they were informative and person centred. They contained relevant information regarding how people preferred to be supported.

The service had a complaints procedure and concerns received were acted upon in a timely way and in line with the provider’s policy.

The provider had a system in place to monitor the quality of service delivery, staff performance and feedback from people who used the service.

As part of our inspection we contacted five people by telephone to discuss the service they received from the agency. Where people were unable to speak to us over the telephone we spoke with their representatives.

People we spoke with told us they were satisfied with the care and support they received from the agency. Comments included: "The majority of staff are very good", "It would be nice to have more regular carers but everything is working fine" and "I have regular carers, they come on time and if they are late the office will ring me."

The people we spoke with said they felt safe with their care workers. One person said, "The girls are very nice, they are kind and polite.” Another person said, "If I have any concerns the office sort's things out."

During the inspection we looked at what people had said in a recent survey. The manager had sent out the surveys, to consult people about the quality of the service they received. Comments indicated that overall, people were happy with the service.

The inspection took place 24 February 2015 and 6 March 2015 and was announced. We last inspected this service in April 2013 and the service was compliant with the regulations we looked at.

Age UK Doncaster provides personal care to people living in the community. Age UK Doncaster has an office which is situated near to Doncaster town centre. Support packages are flexible and based on individual need.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

At the time of our inspection there were approximately 180 people using the service. We spoke with 15 people about their experience of the service. People were generally happy with the care provided. Some people told us there were some areas which could be improved.

Care and support was planned and delivered in a way that ensured people were safe. The support plans we looked at included risk assessments which identified any risk associated with people’s care.

The registered provider had systems in place to ensure people were safe. Safeguarding vulnerable adult’s policies and procedures were available and there was a clear process for staff to follow if required. We spoke with staff who were knowledgeable about recognising abuse and how to respond and report abuse.

The service followed a procedure to ensure safe recruitment practices were followed. Pre- employment checks were obtained prior to people commencing employment.

People’s medicines were managed safely. We saw the service had a medication policy which outlined how the care workers were able to support people. Care plans reflected how to support people who required assistance to take their medicines.

Staff we spoke with felt they were trained to carry out their role and responsibilities effectively. Staff told us training provided was of a good quality and valuable. The service had a training manager who was responsible for this area and ensured staff received training on time and that refresher training was completed in a timely way.

Staff had an awareness of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff were clear that when people had the mental capacity to make their own decisions, this would be respected.

Some people who used the service required support to prepare a meal. People were generally happy with this service. One person told us they sometimes get their hot meal served cold. We spoke with the registered manager about this who looked at resolving the issue.

People were supported to maintain good health and access healthcare services when needed. We spoke with staff and saw care records which informed us that health care professionals had been involved in people’s care where required.

We spoke with staff who told us how important it was to build up a relationship of trust with a person. The people we spoke with told us they usually have the same care workers visiting them.

We saw care records included a social history about the person. This was used to assist the care worker in developing a relationship with the person.

The service had a complaints procedure and we saw that the provider had responded, in a timely manner, to concerns raised. The registered manager kept a log of complaints along with related correspondence. Any missed calls were treated as a complaint and families informed.

We spoke with staff and asked if there was anything the service could improve on. Most staff told us that there was no specific time allowed between calls for travelling. Care workers felt this had an effect on their working day and sometimes made them late for calls. We spoke with the registered manager about this and she told us she was aware and they were looking to address this.

We saw the registered manager and the service co-ordinators completed staff monitoring visits at regular intervals. These visits were to observe carers in their working environment and to gain feedback from the person they were supporting.