The Inspection took place on the 10th April 2017.

Care Connected/ Dragon Enterprise is a domiciliary care agency which offers personal care, companionship and domestic help to support people living in their own home. They also provide an escort service to assist people to get to hospital and other appointments. The service provides approximately 550 hours of care per week to 37 people. The service has recently moved its base to new offices at Dragon Enterprises.

At our last inspection the service was rated as Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The service was safe. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare. People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs consistently. People were supported to take their medication by staff who had received training to do so.

The service was effective. People were cared for and supported by staff who had received training to support people to meet their needs. The registered manager had a good understanding of their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to eat and drink enough to ensure they maintained a balanced diet and referrals to other health professionals were made when required. In addition the service provided an escort service to transport people to appointments and stay with them if they required support.

The service was caring. Staff cared for people in an empathetic and kind manner. Staff had a good understanding of people’s preferences of care. Staff always worked hard to promote people’s independence through encouraging and supporting people.

The service was responsive. People and their relatives were involved in the planning and review of their care. Care plans were reviewed on a regular basis and also when there was a change in care needs. People were supported to follow their interests and participate in social activities. The registered manager responded to complaints received in a timely manner.

The service was well-led. Staff, people and their relatives spoke very highly of the registered manager. The service had systems in place to monitor and provide good care and these were reviewed on a regular basis.

The inspection took place on 8 July 2015. Care Connect is a domiciliary care agency which offers personal care, companionship and domestic help to support people living in their own home. There are currently 12 people using the service.

The service has 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.

People were safeguarded from the potential of harm and their freedoms protected. People were cared for safely by staff who had been recruited and employed after appropriate checks had been completed. Staff had up to date information about people’s needs which meant they were more effective in delivering appropriate care. Care and treatment was planned and delivered in a way that was intended to ensure people's safety and welfare.

Staff had received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care. The service worked well with other professionals to ensure that people's health needs were met. Where appropriate, support and guidance were sought from health care professionals, including GPs, district nurse and occupational therapist. People were supported with their nutrition and hydration needs. Staff supported people with their medication as required.

Staff knew the people they were supporting and provided a personalised service. Care plans were in place detailing how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care. Staff were attentive to people's needs and treated people with dignity and respect.

People were supported with activities which interested them. People knew how to make a complaint; complaints had been resolved efficiently and quickly.

The manager had a number of ways of gathering people’s views including talking with people, staff, and relatives. They carried out a number of quality monitoring audits to help ensure the service was running effectively and to make improvements.

People we spoke with told us that they received a flexible and reliable service that met their needs and wishes. They told us that they had no complaints or concerns about the service they received.

We saw that people who used the service were provided with information about the agency and the level of care and support they could expect to receive. They were also provided with details of how to contact the service should they need to.

We saw that the care and support that people received from the service was planned and delivered with the involvement of the person using the service or those acting on their behalf. This helped to ensure that people received appropriate care and treatment that met each person's needs.

Risks to the health, safety and welfare of those using the service were assessed and so far as possible minimised through robust risk management plans. The provider made regular contact with the people using the service to ensure that they were happy and the care and support they received was safe and appropriate.

We saw that staff employed to work at the service had gone through robust recruitment checks including references from previous employers and Disclosure and Barring Services checks. These checks helped to ensure that people who used the service were supported by appropriately qualified and experienced staff.

There were arrangements in place for receiving and responding appropriately to complaints and concerns.