This inspection started with a visit to the office location on 8 August 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of the inspection to ensure that the people we needed to speak with were available. On 13 August 2018 we made calls to people who used the service, relatives and staff to gain their views and experiences. This service was previously owned by a different provider. This was Care Horizon’s first inspection with the new provider and they registered with CQC in August 2017.

The inspection was carried out by one adult social care inspector. This service is a domiciliary care service. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older and younger adults. At the time of this inspection the service was providing a service to nineteen people, two of which received the regulated activity of personal care. The services were managed from an office in South Gloucestershire.

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. The registered provider was also the registered manager for the service.

The feedback we received from everyone we spoke with was very positive throughout. Those people who used the service including relatives and staff, expressed satisfaction and spoke highly of all staff and the support provided.

The safety of people who used the service was taken seriously and the registered manager and staff were aware of their responsibility to protect people’s health and wellbeing. There were systems in place to ensure that potential risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were identified and addressed.

The staff were motivated and proud of the service. They were fully supported by the registered manager, deputy and team leader. A programme of training and supervision enabled them to provide a good quality service to people. The registered manager, and all staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and, worked to ensure people's rights were respected.

The registered manager ensured that staff had a full understanding of people’s care needs and had the skills and knowledge to meet them. People received consistent support from staff who knew them well. People had positive, caring relationships with the staff and were confident in the service. There was a strong emphasis on key principles of care such as compassion, respect and dignity and promoting independence. People who used the service felt they were treated with kindness and said their privacy and dignity was always respected.

People received a service that was based on their personal needs and wishes. Changes in people’s needs were quickly identified and their care package amended to meet their changing needs. The service was flexible and responded very positively to people’s requests. People who used the service felt able to make requests and express their opinions and views.

People benefitted from a service that was well led. The vision, values and culture of the service were clearly communicated to and understood by staff. The provider/registered manager had implemented a programme of ‘planned growth’ that had been well managed. They were committed to continuous improvement and demonstrated strong values and a desire to learn about and implement best practice throughout the service.

The registered manager and deputy demonstrated a good understanding of the importance of effective quality assurance systems. There were processes in place to monitor quality and understand the experiences of people who used the service.