This inspection took place on 04 April 2019 and was announced. We gave the provider 48-hour notice so we could be sure someone would be available to meet with us. The inspection was completed by one inspector.

About the service:

Care 2 U is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. There was a registered manager in post. '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’s experience of using this service:

People told us they felt safe with the staff who supported them. People told that staff were kind and considerate. Relative spoken with told us that the staff were respectful.

There were sufficient staff available to support people and calls were completed on time. People reported no missed calls so people care needs were met.

People had support with their medication when required from staff. Staff had completed training in the safe administration of medication and various other training to ensure people were supported by experienced staff who had the right skills.

Risks associated with people care had been assessed to protect people from the risk of avoidable harm. Risk assessments were updated when required in full consultation with the individual.

Staff were aware of how to protect people from the risk of abuse and confirmed who they would report any concerns to, including external agencies if required. The registered manager ensured only suitable people worked at the agency.

Recruitment checks were completed and included references and checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service. (DBS)

People confirmed the care they received met their individual preferences and choices. Care plans were reflective of people's current needs.

There was a complaints procedure to enable people to make complaints and people spoken with were aware of these procedures. People told us they felt that the registered manager and staff would address any concern they had.

People and their relatives told us that staff were very kind and caring and treated them with dignity and respect.

The registered manager had systems in place to review and monitor the service provided and peoples views was sought.

This was a planned inspection.

Rating at last inspection: The last inspection was completed on 28 July 2016 and was rated as Good. At this inspection the service continued to be rated as Good

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection.

Enforcement Not required

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

The inspection was announced and took place on 28 and 29 July 2016. This inspection took place in response to concerns raised about the management of the service. The last inspection was on 5 October 2015 and at this inspection we found the service required improvement in the areas we inspected. Care 2 U provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 85 people receiving support from the service.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of 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.

People and their relatives were positive about the care provided by the service and said that they felt safe with the staff. Staff recognised how to identify the signs of potential abuse and knew how to report it to keep people safe. There were sufficient numbers of trained staff who had the appropriate recruitment checks to ensure they were suitable for their role. Staff arrived on time for their visits and the right numbers of staff were available to provide the support people needed. People’s medicines were managed safely.

Risks to people were assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure care remained appropriate for people’s needs. Staff were supported in their roles by the management team. People and relatives told us staff were kind and caring. Staff respected people’s privacy, dignity and promoted their independence. Where required, staff supported people to receive a diet which promoted their nutritional needs. People were supported to access healthcare services when required.

Staff ensured people consented to the care they received. Staff were aware of how to respect people’s choices and rights. People and their relatives were involved in decisions about their care and support. People and their relatives knew how to complain and felt their concerns would be addressed. The provider dealt with complaints in a timely and thorough way.

People felt the service was well run and the management team approachable. Staff said they were confident in their roles and were aware of their responsibilities. Systems were in place to ask people their views about their care. Quality audit processes were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. When required action plans were developed to address areas which needed to be improved.

The Inspection took place on 5 October 2015 and was announced. At the last inspection on 29 January 2014 we found the provider was meeting all the requirements of the regulations we reviewed.

Care 2 U provides care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 129 people were receiving a personal care service.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of the 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.

Most people felt that there were sufficient staff but people told us that staff were frequently late for their calls. People and their families told us that they felt safe. Staff knew their responsibility to protect people from the risk of abuse and what to do if they needed to report it outside of the company. Safe recruitment practices were in place. People were supported by staff who knew how to manage any identified risk to their health. People received their medicine when they required it.

Not all people thought that staff had received training to meet their needs. People were not always asked if they consented to their care. People were supported to eat and drink the food they required to maintain their health. People were supported to access other healthcare services and help was sought from relevant care professionals when there was a deterioration in people’s health.

People told us that not all the staff were kind and considerate. People and their relatives told us that their privacy and dignity was respected by staff who supported them with their care.

People were involved in their care planning. People told us that staff stayed the allocated amount of time but were often late.

People told us that although they had complained they had not received a response from the provider.

The provider did not have adequate monitoring systems to ensure people received their calls at the appropriate time. People and staff found the registered manager approachable and staff told us that they were well supported.

We inspected Care 2 U Limited as part of our scheduled inspection plan. We told the provider we were visiting them to ensure they would be available at the inspection.

In the office we spoke with the registered manager, team leaders and and four care staff employed by the agency. We used the services of an expert by experience who made telephone contact with twenty three people that used the services of Care 2 U Limited or their relative as appropriate. The expert by experience spoke with them about their experiences. People were generally happy with the service they received.

During the inspection we looked at four people's care plans and risk assessments. We saw that the care records were in order and updated to ensure that care was delivered correctly. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided.

We spoke with care staff about how they were supervised and trained to meet people's needs. We reviewed the training and support mechanisms in place for staff. We saw that the agency provided training to ensure that staff were competent to fulfil their role. A member of staff that we spoke with said: "I get all of the training and support I need. I can phone or call in to the office and get advice if I need it". Another staff member said: "There is always someone available in the office to speak with if you are not happy about something". We looked at medication administration and safe handling processes and saw that they were well managed.

Care 2 U Limited provides support to people in the community within their own homes. The provider operates throughout the Walsall area and has a central base within the town centre. We found that the provider has a process for assessing the quality of its provision through regular auditing and obtaining the views from the people who use the service. We saw examples of this and saw that people seemed to be happy with the service they were receiving. We also spoke to a family members and they confirmed this. We did see that people's needs are well documented and assessed and presented in person centred plans.

We spoke to one person whose relative had this care need. They told us that they believe the staff to be competent to provide this care to their relative. They said: “They are very good, caring and patient with my wife. If they weren’t patient I would be the first to complain”.

We saw that the provider had made the required improvement to the way staff were trained to support people with their medication safely.

We saw that where people had specialist care needs staff had the necessary training to meet those needs. We saw that staff received the supervision and support they needed to ensure they are able to do their job well.

As part of this review we contacted three people who use the service to get their views on the service they receive. Everyone we spoke to told us that the service they receive meets their needs and expectations. They told us that they and their relatives were involved in agreeing their care plan. One person told us that at the start of the service they had specific needs in relation to the gender of the care worker who supported them with their personal care, because they were concerned about their dignity. They said someone from the service came out and discussed their needs with them and the care they now have is excellent. Another person told us that they have specific needs because of their disabilities and the care workers are very good at meeting their needs.

People who use the service told us that they get the support they need with their medication. They told us that the service was reliable and that they had confidence in the ability of their care workers to meet their needs.

Whilst people who use the service told us they have confidence in the service they receive, we found that there are shortfalls in some aspect of training that needs to be improved. These include specialist training such as dementia care, the point at which care workers receive training to use hoisting equipment. A review of the medication training provided to care workers is also indicated. This will ensure that the needs of everyone using the service will be met by staff who have the knowledge and are fully confident to support a range of specific needs.