Coastal Homecare (Hove) Limited is a domiciliary care service. The service provides personal care to adults living in their own homes in the community. These included people living with dementia, a mental health illness, a physical disability, a learning disability, people with substance misuse or sensory impairment. On the day of inspection there were 120 people who received support with the regulated activity of personal care.

At our last inspection on 17 February 2016 we rated the service Good.

At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of Good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

People continued to be protected from the risk of harm. Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding and knew how to report concerns. Staff recruitment practices remained in safe. Checks were made to ensure staff were of good character and suitable for their role. Risks to people's personal safety were assessed and plans remained in place to minimise identified risks to people. One person told us, “They help you avoid risks, there are now no trip hazards in my bungalow.” People's medicines continued to be managed safely. Staff had a good understanding of infection control procedures.

People's needs and choices continued to be assessed prior to people using the service and regularly thereafter. People continued to receive effective care and support from staff who were well trained and supported in their roles. People continued to be supported to access healthcare services and staff responded to people’s health needs. People were supported with their dietary needs, where needed.

People and their relatives all told us staff were kind and compassionate. Staff knew people’s preferences and personalities and spoke positively about people they supported. People and their relatives, if appropriate, were fully involved in discussions about their care. Staff remained respectful of people's privacy and maintained their dignity. People’s confidentiality was respected.

People and their families continued to be involved in developing their care and support plans. People’s care plans were personalised and reflected people's needs and choices. People were given information in a way they could understand. The registered manager had considered the use of assistive technologies to improve people's experience. Complaints continued to be responded to in a timely manner. Staff continued to support people sensitively at the end of their lives.

People and staff spoke highly of the management of the service. One person told us the registered manager was, “Very conscientious and considerate.” The culture of the service continued to be positive and respected people's equality, diversity and human rights. The registered manager had a keen focus on quality assurance to drive improvements to the service people received. People and staff remained engaged and involved in the service provided and staff worked with other organisations to ensure people’s needs were met.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We inspected this service on 17 February 2016 and the inspection was announced. This was to make sure there would be someone available in the office to facilitate our inspection.

Coastal Homecare (Hove) Limited is a domiciliary care service that provides personal care and support services for people living in their own homes. These included older people, people living with dementia and people with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection 116 people were receiving a personal care service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 supported by kind, caring staff who knew them well. Staff had a good understanding of people’s care needs. Staff received the training and support they needed to undertake their role and were skilled in caring for people to maintain their independence. Risks to people were identified and managed in the least restrictive way and people’s independence was promoted. One person told us, “I’m arthritic but I like to get myself dressed as much as possible, it’s only the fastenings I need help with. I like to do as much as I can myself.”

There were systems and processes in place to keep people safe. Assessments of risk had been undertaken. One person said, “Oh yes, very safe and absolutely no concerns about my things. I’m happy for them to let themselves in with the key safe. I’m happy about that.” The provider had arrangements in place for the safe administration of medicines. People were supported to receive their medicine when they needed it. People were supported to maintain good health and had assistance to access to health care services when needed. A person told us, “I was having problems breathing so my carer rang my care link and advised to ring for an ambulance and then she stayed with me until the ambulance came. Wasn’t that wonderful that I wasn’t left alone?” The service followed safe recruitment practices.

People’s needs had been assessed and planned for with the person. Plans took into account people’s preferences, likes and dislikes and were reviewed on a regular basis. Staff worked in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and associated legislation. Staff observed the key principles in their day to day work checking with people that they were happy for them to undertake care tasks before they proceeded. People were supported to make their own decisions. One person told us “I recently asked for them to give me another call so someone could take me to the bank and help me with my shopping and it’s all sorted I only had to mention it.”

People confirmed staff respected their privacy and dignity. Staff understood the special responsibility of caring for people within their own home and providing them with choice and control. A member of staff told us, “We are visiting people in their own homes and we need to be aware of that. I think it’s about respecting their right to live as they want”.

People and staff spoke highly of the management. One person told us “[Named provider], the main chap, is ever so good, they all are.” A member of staff told us, “The management are good and supportive and have time if you need to speak with them about anything.” The management of the service was open and transparent and a culture of continuous learning and improvement was promoted. The provider had ensured there were robust processes in place for auditing and monitoring the quality of the service. Feedback was sought by the provider through the use of questionnaires that were sent to people, their relatives and staff. Survey results were positive. People and relatives we spoke with were aware of how to make a complaint and the provider r