This inspection took place on 16 and 17 April 2018. It was announced and was carried out by one inspector. We gave the registered manager 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure someone would be in the office.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council - Intermediate Care is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in Bracknell Forest. The service provides short term support and therapy to people in their own homes and is designed to maximise people's independence and reduce their need for long term packages of care. They also aim to facilitate safe discharge from hospital and prevent avoidable admission or readmission to hospital or care settings. People are provided with short term packages of care to increase their independence, usually lasting up to six weeks. Bracknell Forest Borough Council - Intermediate Care also provides end of life care as part of the services they provide for people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to 37 people. In the year from April 2017 to March 2018 the service provided a reablement service to 416 people and 21 people received end of life care in their own homes.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

People were protected from the risks of abuse. Risks were identified and managed effectively to protect people from avoidable harm. Recruitment processes were in place to make sure, as far as possible, that people were protected from staff being employed who were not suitable. Medicines were stored and handled correctly and safely.

People received effective care and support from staff who knew them well and were well trained and supervised. 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's right to make their own decisions were protected.

People were treated with care and kindness and their right to confidentiality was protected. People were treated with respect and their dignity was upheld. People were supported to maintain and increase their independence where reablement was their goal. Where people were receiving end of life care, staff were made aware of their needs and wishes. The service worked with healthcare professionals, including palliative care specialist, to make sure people had dignity, comfort and respect at the end of their life. People's diversity needs were identified and incorporated into their care plans where applicable.

People received care and support that was personalised to meet their individual needs. They knew how to complain and staff knew the process to follow if they had concerns.

People benefitted from a service which had an open and inclusive culture. Staff were happy working for the service and people benefitted from staff who felt well managed and supported.

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

This inspection took place on 6 and 7 January 2016 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours' notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure someone would be in the office. The service was last inspected on 3 February 2014 and was compliant with the essential standards we assessed.

Bracknell Forest Borough Council - Intermediate Care is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people living in Bracknell Forest. The service provides short term support and therapy to people in their own homes and is designed to maximise people's independence and reduce their need for long term packages of care. They also aim to facilitate safe discharge from hospital and prevent avoidable admission or readmission to hospital or care settings. People are provided with short term packages of care to increase their independence, usually lasting between six and eight weeks. Bracknell Forest Borough Council - Intermediate Care has recently added end of life care as part of the services they provide for people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care to 28 people.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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 were protected from risks to their health and wellbeing and were protected from the risk of abuse. Safe recruitment practices were followed before new staff were employed to work with people. Checks were made to ensure staff were of good character and suitable for their role.

Staff received training to enable them to do their jobs safely and to a good standard.

People were treated with respect and their privacy and dignity was promoted. People said their care and support workers were kind and caring. Staff were responsive to the needs of the people they supported and enabled them to improve and maintain their independence. Professionals said the care and support provided by the service helped people to be as independent as possible.

People's health and well-being was assessed and measures put in place to ensure people's needs were met in an individualised way. Medicines were managed well and staff administering medicines were only allowed to do so after passing their training and being assessed as competent. Where included in their care package, people were supported to eat and drink enough.

People received support that was individualised to their specific needs. Their needs were monitored and care plans reviewed weekly or as changes occurred. People's rights to make their own decisions, where possible, were protected and staff were aware of their responsibilities to ensure people's rights to make their own decisions were promoted. People confirmed they were involved in decision-making about their care and support needs.

People benefitted from receiving a service from staff who worked well together and felt management worked with them as a team. Quality assurance systems were in place to monitor the quality of service being delivered and the running of the service.

At the time of this inspection there were 40 people using the service. On the day of the inspection we spoke with eight members of staff and two therapists. Following the inspection we spoke with four people who use the service over the telephone to gain their views of the service they received.

Before people received any care they were asked for their consent and the staff acted in accordance with their wishes. One person commented: "They always ask what I want them to do and make sure I don't need anything more before they leave."

People’s health, safety and welfare was protected when more than one provider was involved in their care and treatment. They were protected from the risk of infection because there were effective systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

People we spoke with confirmed staff had never missed a visit and always had the time to provide their care without rushing them. They told us staff had the skills they needed when providing their care and treatment. All people were complimentary about the service offered and the staff providing their care. Comments received included: "they are considerate all the time", "they talk to me and cheer me up" and "they are absolutely marvellous."

People were protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were maintained.

At the time of this inspection there were 39 people using the service. On the day of the inspection we met and spoke with eight members of staff to gain their views. On the day following the inspection we spoke with eight people using the service over the telephone and asked their opinion of the service they received.

The people using the service told us they understood the care and treatment choices available to them. They said they had helped to plan the care they received and felt they were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. They felt the staff always respected their privacy and dignity and that the staff helped them to remain as independent as possible.

People felt safe with the staff and thought staff had the skills they needed when providing their care and treatment.

People told us they were able to express their views and make suggestions by talking directly to the staff supporting them. All knew how to make a complaint and told us they were confident any concerns they raised would be taken seriously and acted upon.