This inspection started on 9 December 2016 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. The service was last inspected in June 2014 and at that time there were no breaches of regulations.

At the time of this inspection the service was providing the regulated activity of personal care to 45 people who lived in their own homes. The service was provided to younger adults and older 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.

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 risks to people’s safety and wellbeing were identified and addressed.

Staff were very motivated and proud of the service. They were fully supported by the registered manager and a programme of training and supervision enabled them to provide a good quality service to people.

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 care workers who knew them well. People had positive relationships with their care workers and were confident in the service. There was a good emphasis on key principles of care such as compassion, respect and dignity and promoting independent. People who used the service felt they were treated with kindness.

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.

The provider and registered manager were committed to continuous improvement. The registered manager demonstrated good values and, a desire to learn about and implement best practice throughout the service.

The registered manager 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.