What life is like for people using this service:

* The provider continued to provide a good service.

* People were kept safe from the risk of harm. Potential risks to people had been assessed and managed appropriately by the provider.

* People received their medicines safely and as prescribed and were protected from the risk of infection.

* People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff required to meet their needs. Staff were safely recruited to ensure they were suitable to work in a care service.

* Staff received regular support and supervision which enabled them to provide good care.

* People were supported by staff who were trained and knew how to uphold people's rights in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

* People were supported to have sufficient amounts to eat and drink and to access healthcare services where required.

* Staff were kind, caring and were described as 'going the extra mile' in the care and support they provided. People were treated with respect and staff understood how to protect people's right to dignity and privacy. People were enabled to make choices and decisions about their care and supported to maintain their independence.

* People received personalised care from staff who knew them well.

* Staff understood the importance of reducing the risk of social isolation for people.

* Systems and processes were in place to support people and relatives to raise concerns and complaints.

* There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provision.

* The provider sought the views of people, relatives and staff and these were used to support service development.

Rating at last inspection:

Good. The last inspection report for Caring Companions Homecare Limited was published on 19 April 2016.

About the service:

* Caring Companions Homecare Limited is a domiciliary care agency that provides care to people in their own homes in the Leicester area.

* At the time of our inspection there were 11 people using the service.

* The service supported older and younger people, some of whom had physical disabilities or were living with dementia.

Why we inspected:

* This was a planned inspection based on the rating of the last inspection. The service remained rated as Good overall.

Follow up:

* We will continue to monitor the service to ensure people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care as per our inspection programme.

Relatives told us the staff were exceptionally kind and caring and had a compassionate approach to the people using the service. One relative said they could often hear their family member ‘talking and laughing’ with the staff and they found this reassuring as it meant their family member was happy.

People using the service were matched with staff on the basis of their gender, language, and other preferences. Relatives told us their family members usually had the same staff which gave them the opportunity to get to know them. They also said that staff arrived punctually and stayed for their allotted time and records confirmed this.

Staff had had the training they needed to provide effective care. All the staff we spoke with were caring and valued the people using the service. They understood people’s social and health care needs and ensured their cultural and other preferences were respected. Staff treated people with dignity and helped them to be as independent as possible.

Some people using the service needed support to eat, drink and maintain a balanced diet. Staff understood the importance of giving people choice about what they ate and drank and care plans reinforced this. Records showed they prepared culturally-appropriate meals in line with people’s preferences.

Staff told us they got to know people’s needs by reading care plans and talking to the people using the service and relatives about how they would like the support provided. Care plans were personalised and focused on people’s views and preferences. They also contained interesting information about the person in question including places they had lived and previous occupations. This meant staff could talk with them about their lives if the people using the service wanted this.

If people had anything they wanted to do to improve their quality of life staff advocated for them. For example, one person told staff they would like to go out into the community more often. Staff addressed this by involving an occupational therapist via the local authority so that access issues could be addressed and the person could go safely.

All the relatives we spoke with said they were extremely satisfied with every aspect of the service and made many positive comments about it. They told us they were regularly asked for their feedback on the service. Results of the service’s 2015 surveys showed that all respondents were happy with all aspects of the service.

Staff told us they the registered manager/provider genuinely cared about the people using the service. The registered manager/provider was in contact with all the people using the service and their relatives which gave him an overview of how the service was running.