This announced inspection took place on 15 and 22 November 2017. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides support with personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults. At the time of our inspection the service was providing support to 70 people.

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.

Staff were trained in how to keep people safe and report any concerns of abuse. The likelihood of people experiencing avoidable harm was reduced because the registered manager assessed people's risks and developed plans to alleviate them.

People were involved in the assessment of any risk associated with their care and support. Where risks were identified steps were taken to reduce these. These risk assessments were regularly reviewed and updated to ensure they met people’s changing needs.

Where required the service supported people with their medicines. Staff were trained to support people with their medicines and recorded their actions appropriately.

The service followed appropriate infection control procedures and staff had access to personal protective equipment such as gloves and aprons.

Each person had an individual care plan which was written after an assessment of their needs had been carried out by a senior member of staff. This was reviewed and updated as necessary to ensure it reflected any changes in people’s care needs.

Staff were appropriately trained and supported. They received an induction into the service and ongoing update training.

The service supported some people with their nutrition. Those that were supported were satisfied with how this was done telling us that staff always ensured they left them with a drink.

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. People were also supported to be as independent as they were able.

People and their relatives told us that care was delivered in a compassionate manner by staff who knew them well.

There was a formal complaints procedure and people knew how to access this.

The service was well-led with open and transparent leadership. People and staff felt able to approach the management team with any suggestions or concerns.

Quality assurance processes ensured that care was consistently delivered to a good standard