Apollo Home Healthcare Limited - North Office provides personal and nursing care to children and adults who live in their own homes with their families. Most people had complex care and health needs and receive an around the clock service. There were 8 people using the service when we inspected

The inspection took place on 27 November 2018. The registered provider was given short notice of the visit to make sure key staff was available to assist in the inspection.

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.

This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered in July 2017. We rated the service as Good.

Everyone said the care staff were kind, considerate, respected people and always maintained their dignity.

Most of the people we spoke with and their relatives said they were happy with the service. They said staff ensured their needs were met. By contrast a small number were not happy, as they felt they could not rely on the service. They told us Apollo struggled to replace staff, if they were unable to attend at short notice.

We found staff had good knowledge of how to spot the signs of abuse and of what action to take to protect people. Risks were well managed and people received their medicines safely. The recruitment process helped to minimise the risk of unsuitable staff being employed.

People were assisted to have good nutrition and had access to health care services where needed. 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. Staff told us they enjoyed working for the service and received good support and training.

People received individualised, person centred care that met their needs. People's privacy and confidentiality were maintained as records were held securely. People were confident to raise any concerns and complaints and most said things got sorted out. The management team were aware of any concerns people had and it was evident that a lot of work was put into resolving these.

The quality monitoring systems and the management structure ensured there was effective management, review and oversight. A system was in place for checking the quality of the service. People were consulted about the quality of the service and their views were used drive improvement. There was a commitment to continuous learning and improving the service and the service worked well in partnership with others to ensure people’s needs were met

Further information is in the detailed findings in the full version of the report.