We inspected Almond Care Providers on 26 and 31 May 2017 at the registered office in South Norwood. Almond Care Providers is registered to provide personal care to people in their own home. At the time of our inspection there were 13 people with learning disabilities using the service.

At the last inspection in 2015, the service was rated "Good". At this inspection we found the service remained "Good".

People were protected from abuse and foreseeable harm. They felt safe and knew who to speak to if they had any concerns about their safety. There was a sufficient number of staff to support people safely, meet their needs and support them to go out into the community. The provider ensured staff had the necessary training, skills and experience to support people effectively.

Staff obtained people's consent before providing care or support. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. People received care which met their individual needs from a consistent staff team who knew them well and were kind and caring.

Staff encouraged people to have a balanced diet and a sufficient amount to eat and drink. Staff supported people to maintain good physical and mental health and liaised well with outside social and health care professionals. People took their medicines as prescribed.

People were supported to be as independent as they could be. They were also encouraged and assisted to keep in contact with their family and friends which helped to ensure they did not become socially isolated.

People were given opportunities to feedback on the care they received. They felt able to complain if the need arose. The registered manager listened to and used feedback to improve the quality of care people received. There were appropriate systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of care people received. The service was well organised and managed.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We inspected Almond Care on 3 March 2015. The inspection was announced.

Almond Care provides support and personal care to adults in their own homes. At the time of our visit there were four people using the service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 were safe. This was also the view of their relatives. Staff were knowledgeable about how to recognise the signs of abuse and report any concerns. Care was planned and delivered to ensure people were protected against abuse and avoidable harm. People had comprehensive risk assessments which gave staff detailed information on how to manage the risks identified.

Staff arrived on time to care for people and stayed for the time allotted. There was a sufficient number of suitable staff allocated to people to keep them safe and meet their needs.

People received their medicines safely. Staff controlled the risk and spread of infection by following the service’s infection control policy.

People were satisfied with the quality of care they received. Care plans provided information to staff about how to meet people’s individual needs. People were supported by staff who had the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver their care effectively. Staff worked with a variety of healthcare professionals to support people to maintain good health.

People spoke fondly about the staff and said they were kind and caring. People were treated with respect and were at the centre of decisions about their care. The provider listened to and learned from people’s experiences to improve the service.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. People felt able to contact the service’s office to discuss their care and staff were in regular contact with the manager. There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of care people received.

The registered manager had worked in the adult social care sector for many years and understood what was necessary to provide a quality service.