The inspection took place on 19 January 2017 and was announced.

Care Remedies is a family run, domiciliary care service providing support to 24 people living in their own homes who are in receipt of the regulated activity of personal care. The service supports older people and people who are living with dementia or other conditions, to enable them to continue living in their own homes. Some people privately funded their care whilst others had their care funded by the local authority. The service is based in Eastbourne, East Sussex. .

The service was owned by two providers, one of which was 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.

People told us they felt safe. One person told us, “They’re always careful with me I’ve never been hurt”. Another person told us, “Oh yes I can trust them, there has never been any mishaps”. Staff had received induction training and had access to on-going training to ensure their knowledge was current and that they had the relevant skills to meet peoples’ needs. People were safeguarded from harm. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults at risk, they were aware of the policies and procedures in place in relation to safeguarding and knew how to raise concerns.

There were sufficient staff to meet peoples’ needs and people told us that they were cared for by kind and caring staff. One person told us, “Very nice, helpful, I like them all. I’ve had them a long time”. People confirmed that they were treated with respect and dignity and their privacy maintained. One person told us “They cover me with a towel, always clean up after themselves and leave everything tidy”. Another person told us, “Always respectful, always nice, they don’t treat you like an old person”.

Risk assessments had been undertaken and were regularly reviewed. They considered peoples’ physical and cognitive needs as well as hazards in the environment and provided guidance to staff in relation to how to support people safely. There were low incidences of accidents and incidents, those that had occurred had been recorded and were used to inform practice. People received their medicines on time, they were administered by staff that had undertaken relevant training and who had their competence assessed. People had access to relevant health professionals to maintain good health. People were supported with their hydration and nutrition and were offered support according to their needs and preferences.

Staff had undertaken essential training as well as training that was specific to peoples’ needs and conditions. People felt that the staff were well trained and felt confident that they had the right skills to meet their needs. One person told us, “I’ve every confidence in them, no problems”. People told us they were asked for their consent before being supported. For example, when being supported with their personal hygiene or to take medicine. The providers and staff understood that people should be supported to make their own decisions, and when people had difficulty with this, had involved the relevant people to ensure any decisions made were in the person’s best interests. People were involved in their care and decisions that related to this. People were asked their preferences when they first joined the service and these were respected and accommodated. Regular reviews ensured that peoples’ care was current and appropriate for their needs.

There was a warm and friendly atmosphere within the service. People were complementary about the leadership and management. One member of staff told us, “Best company I’ve ever worked for, I’m supported, I’m really happy”. Staff felt supported by the providers and we

We looked at the services offered by the agency by talking to people who received them and their relatives. We spoke to the staff who provided the personal care and reviewed the documentation that supported the agency.

People said that the support they received was “very good”. People told us they were involved in ongoing discussions with the agency to ensure that they received the support that they wanted.

One person said the service was “excellent” and another said “they do their best”. Overall the people we spoke with were very happy with the support they received.

There were 32 people receiving personal support from Care Remedies at the time of this inspection. We spoke with six people who used the agency, or their representatives if appropriate, three agency staff, the manager and the provider.

People told us that they were asked for their consent before staff provided personal care. One person said, "Staff always ask if I need help before they do anything, they are very good.”

We looked at the care planning system and found that the records showed the care and support people wanted and needed. People told us that they were treated with respect and that staff were very courteous. One person said, "I am very happy with the support I receive.''

We looked at the medication policies and procedures. We found that appropriate systems were in place and regular audits were completed, which ensured people were assisted with medication safely.

We looked at recruitment procedures. Relevant checks and training was completed before new employees provided support.

A complaints procedure was in place. People were aware of this and told us they did not have any complaints at the time of the inspection.