This inspection took place on 27 November 2018 and was announced. Candid Health Care (CHC) Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides service to older people.

Not everyone using Candid Health Care (CHC) Ltd receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection 17 people were receiving the regulated activity of personal care.

At the last inspection in June 2016 the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

There was a registered manager in post but they were not present during our inspection. 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 has a registered manager in place and a team leader who has overall day to day responsibility for the service.

Risk assessments were completed for people using the service and staff were aware of how to manage the risks. Staff had good knowledge of safeguarding, including how to report incidents of abuse. This ensured there were systems in place for identifying and managing concerns and risks to people.

The service had enough staff. There were good recruitment processes in place to ensure staff were checked and were suitable to provide care and support. There were arrangements to ensure staff had induction, training, supervision and annual appraisal.

The service had systems for monitoring incidents, accidents and complaints. People and relatives were confident that their concerns and complaints were investigated and lessons learnt by the registered manager to improve the service.

Medicines were well managed through the availability of trained staff and regular auditing systems. When required, staff prompted or administered medicines.

Care plans were personalised. People and relatives were involved in the review of the plans. 'How to communicate' with people was included in care plans and was part of discussions in staff meetings.

The provider was compliant with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Staff encouraged and supported people to make decisions about their care. They treated people with respect and ensured people's privacy and dignity was maintained.

The provider worked with health professionals. People's medical needs were included in their care files and staff knew the contact details of healthcare professionals.

Where required, staff supported people with their meals. People's dietary needs were recorded in their care files.

Various auditing and quality monitoring systems were in place to ensure the service was managed effectively.

Staff were provided with personal protective equipment such as gloves, aprons and antibacterial gels. They had training and knowledge of infection control.

The inspection took place on 24 and 27 June 2016 and was announced. The service met all legal requirements and was rated “Good” at our previous inspection on 20 March 2015.

Candid Healthcare provides personal care to people living in the London borough of Havering. On the day of our visit there were 28 people using the service.

At the time of our inspection a registered manager was in place. 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 told us that they trusted staff who looked after them and that most visits were at the scheduled times. Where required people were assisted to take their medicines safely.

Staff had attended safeguarding training and were able to demonstrate how they would respond to any allegations or witnessed abuse by notifying the appropriate authorities.

Risks were assessed and clear steps to take to mitigate identified risks were recorded to enable staff to care for people safely.

People told us they were supported by regular staff and that none of their visits had been missed. Staff were matched to people’s needs and suitable arrangements were made to cover sickness and absences.

There were robust recruitment systems in place to ensure that staff only commenced after appropriate checks had been completed. Staff were supported by means of annual appraisals and regular supervisions.

Staff sought consent before care was delivered. They had completed training relating to the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and were aware of their roles and responsibilities to ensure the people’s voice was heard.

People told us that their privacy and dignity was respected. They were aware of how to make a complaint but told us they did not have to complain often. When they did complain the complaint was resolved quickly.

Care plans although sometimes brief were based on people’s preferences and included their past history and present likes and dislikes. We made a recommendation to seek further guidance on record keeping.

People, their relatives and staff thought the service was well led and that staff and, management were approachable. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of care delivered. However we made a recommendation to seek guidance on effective communication.