This inspection took place on 21 and 27 June 2017 was announced.

A&R Guardian Services Limited is registered to provide personal care and support to older people living in their own homes. The office is based in the city of Leicester. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people using the service and six care staff employed. People’s packages of care varied dependent upon their needs.

This was our first inspection of the service since they registered with us on January 2016.

A registered manager was in post. 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.

We found further action was needed to ensure that people received the support they needed to make decisions about their care. Records did not demonstrate that appropriate Mental Capacity Assessment (MCA) and best interest decisions made had been documented. Although staff recognised the importance of gaining people’s consent their knowledge on the MCA varied. The registered provider was working with the local authority commissioner for support and to confirm the training dates.

Risks associated to people’s health and safety and risks within their own home had been assessed. Measures to protect people from avoidable harm were not always accurately reflected. However, when raised with the registered provider they amended the care plans to ensure staff had clear guidance for follow in order to support people to stay safe.

Staff were provided with appropriate uniforms. Some adjustments had been made to staff uniform to ensure people’s safety was not compromised whilst respecting staff’s diversity. To further assure people’s safety, the registered provider told us they would carry out unannounced spot checks and take action as required.

People said they felt safe. Staff knew how to report any concerns of abuse or harm they identified when they visited people. People were supported with their medicines in a safe way.

People’s safety was promoted by the provider’s recruitment processes. There were sufficient numbers of staff employed to meet people’s needs. Staff received induction and ongoing training for their role. Staff felt supported and had their work was appraised through regular meetings and their practice checked. This helped to ensure people’s needs were met effectively.

People’s rights were protected and respected. People were supported, where required to meet their dietary needs and had access to healthcare support. People were supported by a regular individual or group of staff who they knew. This helped people to develop positive relationships with staff and promote continuity of care.

People told us their privacy and dignity was respected. Staff’s approach was caring and they were knowledgeable about people's preferences and the support required to promote their wellbeing and independence.

People were involved in the development of their care plan to ensure care provided was personalised and responsive. People’s needs were monitored and reviewed. This helped ensure staff responds to people’s changing needs.

People knew how to complain and were confident that their complaint would be addressed. A complaint process was in place and staff knew how to respond to complaints.

The provider was meeting their regulatory responsibilities. There was clear leadership and communication between management, staff and people who used the service. People had a range of opportunities to be involved in the development of the service. The provider’s quality monitoring system in place was mostly effective. Following our discussion with the registered provider about our findings, they identified areas which they could improve to ensure the system would help identify and drive improveme