Astar is a domiciliary care agency. Care and support is provided to people in their own homes. On the day of our inspection, 32 people were using the service.

This was the first inspection we had carried out on this service.

There was a registered manager in post at the service. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were safe from abuse and bullying. Staff had knowledge of safeguarding and were aware of their responsibilities to report any concerns. The registered manager knew of their responsibilities regarding the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Risks were assessed and suitable control measures put in place, which still enabled people to maintain as much independence as possible. There were sufficient numbers of staff to ensure that people's needs were met and recruitment practices ensured that staff were of good character and suitable for their roles. People were supported to take their medicines safely. Systems were in place to record when medicines were given and were regularly checked to ensure there were no errors.

Staff received an induction and on-going training to make sure they had the right skills and knowledge to provide people with care in their own homes. Staff were well supported and had opportunities to discuss any concerns and training needs they might have.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

There were positive relationships between people and members of staff. Staff treated people with kindness and took the time to get to know them and their interests whilst providing their care. The service had involved people in producing their care plans to ensure that care was provided in the way they chose. In addition, people and their family members were provided with information about the service and what they could expect.

The care plans we looked at were detailed. Staff could describe how individual people preferred their care and support delivered and the importance of treating people with respect in their own homes.

The service worked in partnership with community professionals and the local authorities to meet people's healthcare needs.

The provider had a system in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received and identified and acted on areas for improvement.