About the service: Alice Chilton in Home Care is a small domiciliary care service that provides support and personal care to a small number of older people.

People’s experience of using this service: Peoples care was exceptionally person centred, responsive to their diverse needs and clearly emphasised the importance of supporting people in a way which was right for them. We observed, heard and read examples of how people’s routines and choices were paramount in developing a truly bespoke and well managed package of care. Staff demonstrated their commitment to ensuing people received excellent standards of care and support. People and their relatives described strong relationships they had built with staff and discussed how care from Alice Chiton in Home Care had exceeded their expectations.

Everyone told us they felt safe receiving care from the staff. Staffing were deployed in suitable numbers, and staff had time to spend with people and were not rushed. Medication needs were assessed, and medication was only given by staff who were trained to do so. Staff were recruited safely, and incident and accidents were analysed for patterns and trends. Risks to people were assessed safely. Rotas were completed using an electronic rostering system.

Staff had the correct skills to support people and all of their training courses were up to date and recorded in a training matrix. Staff were required to engage in supervision and had had an annual appraisal. People were supported to eat and drink in accordance with their needs. Decisions and consent to care and treatment was sought in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

We received positive comments about the staff in relation to the support they provided. Everyone said they were kind and caring. Staff were able to describe how they ensured people’s dignity was respected. People and their relatives said they were involved in their care plans.

The service was managed well, the ethos and culture of the service was well implemented with the staff team that provided the care. Staff all spoke fondly about the registered manager and spoke about their roles with enthusiasm and pride. Audits were in place which were effective in highlighting any areas for improvement. Action plans were drawn up and shared with the registered provider as well as the staff teams. The registered manager engaged with people who used the service to ensure any areas were improvements were needed were being actioned. The registered manager was aware of their role with CQC and had notified us of all incidents as required.

Rating at last inspection: Rated good, report published August 2016.

Why we inspected: This was a planned comprehensive inspection in line with our methodology.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

This announced inspection took place on 07 July 2016.

Alice Chilton In-Home Care Services Limited is registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes. In addition the agency also provides other support to people such as companionship, and home help services. The agency operates from a ground floor office and has disabled access. At the time of inspection the registered provider was supporting 75 people and employed 24 staff.

The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure someone would be in at the office.

There was a registered manager in place. 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 service was registered with the Care Quality Commission in 2014.This was the first inspection of the service.

At this inspection people spoke positively about the quality of service provided. People told us staffing levels met their needs.

People were protected from risk of abuse. They told us they felt safe and secure. Staff had knowledge of safeguarding procedures and were aware of their responsibilities for reporting any concerns.

Suitable recruitment procedures meant staff were correctly vetted before starting employment. Staff retention was good and people said they benefited from staff who knew them well.

Suitable arrangements were in place for managing and administering medicines. People were encouraged to self-administer medicines where appropriate.

People’s healthcare needs were monitored. Care plans were developed and maintained for people who used the service. Care plans covered support needs and personal wishes. Plans were reviewed and updated at regular intervals and information was sought from appropriate professionals as and when required.

People were encouraged to live active lives. Staff were matched to people with similar hobbies and interests where possible so relationships could be built and nurtured.

The registered manager monitored and managed risk to promote people’s safety.

Training was provided for staff to enable them to carry out their tasks proficiently. Staff training was monitored and training was provided when the registered manager identified training needs. Staff praised the training on offer.

People said they were supported at appropriate times to meet their nutritional needs. Strategies were used to promote healthy eating where appropriate.

The registered manager had implemented a range of assurance systems to monitor quality and effectiveness of the service provided. Feedback was gained from all parties as a means to develop and improve the service.

Staff were positive about ways in which the service was managed and the support received from the management team. They described a positive working environment.