This inspection took place on the 9 and 12 January 2017. It was carried out by one inspector.

Caremark (Weymouth and West Dorset) is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service provided personal care and support for 27 people.

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 were positive about the care and support they received. They told us staff treated them kindly and we saw people were comfortable with staff in their homes. People told us they felt safe. They were protected from harm because staff understood the risks they faced and how to reduce these risks. Staff knew how to identify and respond to abuse; including how to contact agencies they should report concerns about people’s care to.

Staff understood how people made choices about the care they received, and encouraged people to make decisions about their care. Care plans mostly reflected care was being delivered within the framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. We discussed where records did not reflect the MCA and the registered manager began work to address this immediately.

There were enough safely recruited staff to ensure people received their visits as planned. These staff were consistent in their knowledge of people’s care needs and spoke with confidence about the care they provided to meet those needs. They were professional in their approach and motivated to provide the best care they could. They told us they felt supported in their roles. They had received training that provided them with the necessary knowledge and skills to do their job effectively. Staff kept accurate records about the care they provided and these records were used to review people’s care.

People’s medicines and creams were administered safely.

People had access to health care professionals and were supported to maintain their health by staff. Staff understood changes in people’s health and shared the information necessary for people to receive safe care. Where people had their food and drink prepared by staff they told us this was prepared well. People were left with access to appropriate drinks and food between visits.

Management were committed to making continual improvements to the quality of care. This included development of new skills and expertise amongst the staff team in response to people’s identified needs and specific training needs identified and requested by the team. There were systems in place to review and monitor the quality of the service people received including feedback from people and staff.

People were positive about the care they received and told us the staff were friendly and compassionate. Staff treated people and each other with respect and kindness throughout our inspection.