This inspection visit took place on 22 September 2016 and was an announced inspection. This meant that we gave the service notice of our arrival so that we could ensure someone was available at the office. Telephone interviews with people and their relatives took place on the 28 and 29 September.

The service is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were 66 older people using the service.

There was no registered manager in place at the time of our visit. 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. However the current care manager had recently begun the application process with the Care Quality Commission.

Our previous inspection on 9 September 2015 found a breach of three legal requirements. We asked the provider to make improvements to ensure staff employed had relevant safety checks in place and that there were effective auditing systems for quality. We also asked the provider to ensure effective systems were in place to obtain lawful consent in accordance with the Mental Capacity act 2005 (MCA), and that staff understood these.

We found at this inspection that sufficient improvements had been made regarding these areas. This meant that at this inspection we concluded that the provider was no longer in breach of any legal requirements.

People and their relatives told us that people were safe using the service. Staff were trained in adult safeguarding procedures and knew what to do if they considered someone was at risk of harm, or if they needed to report concerns.

There were systems in place to identify risks and protect people from harm. Risk assessments were in place and carried out by staff that were competent to do so. Risk assessments recorded what action staff should take if someone was at risk and referrals were made to appropriate health care professionals to minimise risk going forward.

There were sufficient staff to keep people safe and meet their needs, and the management team had in place safe recruitment procedures. Staff were competent with medicines management and could explain the processes that were followed. Policies and procedures were in place to guide staff in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The management team understood that there should be processes in place for ensuring decisions were made in people’s best interests. Staff sought consent from people and recorded this.

Staff were caring, knew people well, and supported people in a dignified and respectful way. Staff maintained people’s privacy. People and their relatives felt that staff were understanding of people’s needs and had positive working relationships with people.

The service provided individualised care according to each person’s needs and preferences. People and their relatives were involved in assessment and reviews of their needs. Staff had knowledge of changing needs and supported people to make positive changes to their care plans.

People and staff knew how to raise concerns and these were dealt with appropriately. The views of people, relatives, health and social care professionals were sought as part of the quality assurance process. Quality assurance systems were in place to regularly review the quality of the service that was provided.