This inspection was carried out on 4 and 6 January 2017 and was announced.

Crossroads Care Cheshire West Wirral and Shropshire is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. They provide support to ‘Carers’ who care for people with illnesses or disabilities. At the time of our visit the agency was providing a service to 69 people who were receiving the regulated activity of personal care. The frequency of visits and duration across the service varied dependent on people’s needs.

There was a manager in post who was present during the inspection. The manager was in the process of applying to become registered manager for the service. 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 and their relatives felt safe with the care and support provided by staff both within their homes and when they went out with them. Staff were aware of the risks associated with people’s needs and how to minimise these without restricting people’s choice and independence.

Staff were knowledgeable about the different forms of abuse and knew how to recognise and respond to concerns. Where concerns had been raised these had been appropriately reported to the local authority safeguarding team.

There were enough staff to safely meet people’s needs and staff were allocated sufficient time to travel between calls. People received consistent support from regular care staff. Before any new staff started work, the provider carried out checks to ensure they were suitable to work with people.

Staff had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s individual needs. Staff received training relevant to their roles and the needs of individuals they supported. Staff felt well supported in their roles and could contact management for guidance at any time.

Staff sought people’s permission before supporting them. People were provided with information in a way they could understand to enable them to make decisions for themselves.

People were very complimentary about the care and support they received. People felt that staff were caring, kind and patient. They felt staff listened to and involved them in their care.

People were treated with dignity and respect. Staff spoke about people with warmth and respect for their individuality.

People received a flexible service that was tailored to their individual needs and preferences. Staff had formed positive working relationships with people and their relatives. People were supported by staff who knew them well.

People and their relatives were encouraged to voice their opinions on the quality of care and support they received. People had not had cause to complain but were confident that should the need arise these would be dealt with promptly.

The manager had a clear vision for the service which was shared and worked towards by the staff team. There was a positive working culture where staff felt valued and listened to.

The provider had a range of checks in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and drive improvements.