This inspection took place on 20 April 2017. The inspection was announced. We gave the provider two days' notice of our inspection. This was to make sure we could meet with the manager of the service and talk with staff on the day of our inspection visit.

Bright Dawn Home Care is registered to provide personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The service operates in Solihull and the surrounding areas. There were 64 people using the service at the time of our inspection and 36 staff were employed.

A requirement of the provider's registration is that they have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who had registered with the Care Quality Commission to manager the service. Like registered provider's 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. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager who was also the provider for the service. The registered manager was supported by a junior care manager and an office manager to run the service. We refer the registered manager as the provider in the body of this report.

The service was last inspected on 11 November 2015. At that inspection we found a number of improvements were required and the provider told us they had plans in place to ensure these were made. During this inspection we checked and found the improvements had been made.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe using the service and care workers understood how to protect people from abuse and keep them safe. People told us they received care from familiar care workers who now arrived at the expected time and completed the required tasks.

People told us care workers showed them kindness and had the correct skills and experience to provide the care and support they required. People received care from staff who were respectful and ensured people's privacy and dignity was maintained.

Care workers were knowledgeable about people's needs. The information contained in people's care plans and risk assessments had improved since our last inspection. The information helped care workers to provide safe care in a way people preferred. People who required support with eating and drinking were provided with foods they enjoyed.

People were involved in planning and reviewing their care. There were processes to minimise risks associated with people's care. These included risk assessments and safe systems to manage people's medicines. Analysis of incidents and accidents took place to identify any patterns or trends to reduce the likelihood of further incidents occurring.

There were enough suitably trained care workers to deliver care and support to people. The provider checked the suitability of care workers to work with people who used the service during their recruitment. Care workers received an induction when they started working for the service and completed regular training to support them in meeting people's needs effectively.

The provider and staff understood the principles of the mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Depravation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The provider had improved their knowledge in relation to community DoLs since our last inspection. Mental capacity assessments had been completed for people who needed them.

The provider was committed to providing high quality care to people. People told us Bright Dawn Home Care was well run and they spoke positively about the management team. Systems to monitor the quality and safety of the service provided were in place and had improved since our last inspection. Staff enjoyed working for the service, and were complimentary about the support they received from their managers.

People's feedback was gathered through annual surveys. This meant the service could understand the experiences of people who used the service. People knew how to make a complaint

Bright Dawn Home Care was inspected on 12 November 2015. We had received concerns about the service and as such we undertook an unannounced inspection. The service formerly traded as Home Instead Senior Care – Solihull. They have been trading as Bright Dawn Home Care since June 2015.

Bright Dawn Home Care provides domiciliary care (care at home) to people who live in Solihull and the surrounding area. At the time of our visit, the service provided support to 66 people, 20 of whom required support with personal care.

The person who owned the service (the provider) was also the 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.

The service had previously accepted more care packages for people than they had the staff to meet people’s needs. This meant people did not always have staff attend their calls, or staff did not stay for the required length of time. There had also been problems with making sure calls were scheduled so that staff could attend them at the expected time, and provide cover when other staff were on leave. The registered manager had worked to improve this and at the time of our visit, staff and systems were in place which had started to provide a more consistent service to people.

The registered manager had set up systems to monitor quality and ensure home calls were carried out as expected. However, the systems were not as effective as they expected, and led to a reduction in the quality of service provided to people. A recently introduced system has proved so far to be more effective however further development of this was required.

Staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), and care workers respected people’s decisions and gained people’s consent before they provided personal care. However, the registered manager did not understand their responsibilities related to community Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Care plans and risk assessments contained relevant information for care workers to help them provide the personalised care people required. However, some people’s care needs and the risks relating to their care had increased and these had not been updated in the care record.

People who required support with eating and drinking had enough to eat and drink during the day and were assisted to arrange health appointments if required.

People told us the care staff were kind and caring and provided good support to them. They said staff treated them with dignity and respect, and their privacy was assured when personal care was provided. They told us they felt safe using the service and care workers understood how to protect people from abuse. The registered manager checked care workers were suitable to work with people who used the service.

People knew how to complain and who to contact if they had any concerns. Concerns and formal complaints were addressed appropriately. Staff felt the management team were open and accessible.

We visited Home Instead Senior Care - Solihull, because we had received information which raised concerns about the safety of staff recruitment practice. We looked at staff recruitment records and staff schedules and saw that staff did not start providing personal care with people on their own until the relevant staff recruitment checks had been carried out. This meant the registered manager carried out appropriate checks to support the safety of people who used the service.

At the time of our visit the agency supported approximately 78 people and employed around 50 care workers. We spoke with the registered manager, three staff working in the office and two care workers during our visit. We also spoke with six people who used the service or their relatives to find out their views about Home Instead Senior Care - Solihull.

People who used the service said they received the care and support they had agreed to. People told us they had given their consent to the care being provided and had signed documents to confirm this.

We saw people’s needs were assessed and care had been arranged according to people's personal needs. People we spoke with said they had a care plan in their home. Care plans we viewed contained information about people’s likes and preferences. This made sure people received care in a way they preferred.

People we spoke with said their care workers were friendly and polite. People said care workers arrived around the time expected and stayed long enough to do everything they needed without having to rush. Two people told us their care worker did over and above what was expected of them.

We looked at how the service managed medication. We found people received their medication as prescribed.

We were satisfied care workers had been recruited safely and had the necessary skills and experience to work with people using the service.

Records showed the agency had systems in place to monitor the care provided. People we spoke with knew who to contact if they were concerned about their care. People told us they had never had cause to do this.

People we spoke with told us they were happy with the care they received. Comments from people included, “I am very happy with the service X receives. Nothing is too much trouble for them. They often stay longer than they should.”

People using the service were very happy with the care they received from Home Instead. They told us the carer's were excellent, very friendly and helpful. They said they had no complaints at all and were more than satisfied with the service.

Comments included: ' I am very happy with my carers and feel very comfortable with them' 'Excellent carers, very professional' 'They deserve a big thank you for all they do for me'.

The management team reviewed each person's care documentation on a three monthly

basis. They spoke to the person and their family to make sure the service provided was of a good standard, and was meeting the needs of the individual.

Comments from relatives included: ' Very, very happy with the service' ' They are very

good at what they do for my dad, it gives me peace of mind'.

People who used the service told us that they felt well supported by friendly, professional staff. People who used the service told us they felt comfortable with talking to the manager or any member of staff if they felt things could be improved. They all said they were very satisfied with the service provided.