This inspection took place on 12 December 2016 and was announced.

Argyll Care provides support for people with mental health needs in their own homes. At the time of this inspection, nine people were living in the Strand House flats; to which Argyll Care provides a supported living service.

There was a registered manager 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.

People had no concerns about their safety and staff had completed training to enable them to recognise and respond to any suspicion of abuse. Staff also understood their obligation to report any issues promptly. The service followed safe recruitment processes so that only staff, who were suitable to work in care, were employed. Risks to people’s safety were assessed and guidance for staff about any identified risks for people was clear and appropriately detailed.

There were enough staff to ensure people’s safety and the manager had contingency plans in place to cover for staff absences. People’s support needs were met in accordance with their individual requirements.

At the time of this inspection none of the people being supported required the service to manage or administer their medicines. However, staff had completed appropriate medicines training. The service also had clear policies and procedures in place for staff to follow, with regard to the recording and administration of medicines for people.

Staff were supported well and received regular supervisions and suitable training that was relevant to their role. Staff meetings were held regularly and staff maintained frequent communication with each other and the manager.

The manager and staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

In accordance with people’s care packages, staff encouraged and supported people to ensure they had enough to eat and drink. People were also supported to access other healthcare professionals as needed.

People were supported by caring staff and people planned and agreed their own care. Staff were reliable and people knew the staff that supported them. People had thorough assessments completed before they started using the service and their care was planned specifically for them to meet their needs. People’s care records were reviewed regularly by the manager and staff, to ensure they were kept up to date and accurately maintained.

People knew how to make a complaint and were confident that their concerns would be listened to, taken seriously and that appropriate action would be taken.

Staff had regular opportunities to discuss aspects of the service and make suggestions for improvements. People using the service also had opportunities to express their views.

The service had effective systems for ensuring people consistently received high quality care. Regular reviews and audits were carried out, which included people’s support plans and risk assessments.

During this inspection we spoke with three people who were using this service, which represented 20% of the service users. We also spoke with one person’s relative, three support workers and two managers.

All three people we spoke with told us they had a support plan and a contract, which they had agreed to and signed.

Comments we received from people using the service included: “…was the best move I ever made…” “If I feel a bit low at any time I can talk to the staff – they know me and know how to help me…” And, “I need a bit of help with cleaning my flat and sometimes I need reminding about appointments I’ve got…”

A relative of one person said, “…they’ve been absolutely marvellous; [relative’s name] has their life back now…” And, “…I just can’t fault anything with them…”

All the staff confirmed they had received training in adult protection and that this training was in date.

At the time of this inspection, everyone was able to manage their own medication although, on occasions, staff were required to prompt and observe or monitor some people with their medicines.

All the staff we spoke with said they felt totally supported in their job role. One person said, “The support we get is fantastic – even when we’re lone working.”

Everyone we spoke with told us they knew how to make a complaint if they needed to and that they could talk to any of the staff if they had any concerns.

The relative of a person using the agency told us that they had concerns regarding the level of support their relation was receiving. The person we spoke with told us that there was initially no care plan at their relative's house and that they had not seen any contract or service agreement and therefore couldn't determine exactly what level of support had been agreed, how it had been agreed or who it had been agreed with.

This person also raised concerns with regard to some financial transactions that had not been recorded appropriately for their relative. The person told us that their relative had been regularly giving money to support staff to buy groceries for them but that there was no record of how much money was being given, no receipts and no record of any change returned.

The person we spoke with told us they were concerned that their relative's medication was not being administered appropriately and that they were sometimes concerned because there was no way of being sure of what time their relative had received their medication or whether they had complied with taking it appropriately.

One person we spoke with told us they were very happy with their flat and liked the staff.

This person told us that they knew what was in their support plan and that they reviewed this with their keyworker every two months.

The person we spoke with told us that they generally liked to keep themselves to themselves and they enjoyed doing what they wanted, such as watching television or listening to music. They said that they were quite independent and did their own shopping and cooking.

We saw that there was good evidence of staff supporting people to manage things for themselves, such as writing letters, attending appointments or meetings and managing their own finances.

The person we met and spoke with told us that they felt safe and said that if they had any concerns or issues they would report them to either the manager or their support staff.

Staff we spoke with told us that, as they were a very small team, they worked very closely together and communication between them was excellent.

We saw that there were a number of systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of service provided by Argyll Care.