The inspection of Age UK Wakefield District Home Support Services took place on 30 January 2018 at the branch office, and was followed by two days of telephone calls to people using the service and members of staff. The inspection was announced and was the first inspection for this service.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to older people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of the inspection there were two people using the service.

The service had a registered manager. 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 and their relatives said they felt supported by knowledgeable and caring staff, and were safe. They felt confident in their abilities and were supported in the manner they chose. People’s independence was promoted as much as possible.

Risk management processes were robust and staff had access to out of hours support if required. People’s needs were met with consistent staff who often supported over and above what was initially agreed to ensure all needs were met.

We found some issues with medication practice and made a recommendation to the registered manager to ensure they followed current guidance.

The registered manager had a sound understanding of current guidance and ensured staff had received all necessary training and supervision.

People were 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.

Care planning involved all people using the service and their relatives. People’s needs were regularly reviewed and adjustments made if needed. The service had not received any complaints but there was a clear procedure in place to manage any concerns.

The registered manager had a strong vision for the service and had developed a quality assurance system which focused on best practice with regular reflections. They were keen to use ideas from staff and people using the service in order to develop the quality of care delivery.