About the service: Elder years care Limited provides care and support for people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there was 25 people receiving personal care from the service.

People’s experience of using this service: People and their relatives told us they were happy with the care and support they received from Elder Years Care Limited. One person said, “I think it is a well-run company. I would happily recommend it to others.”

People received their care from a small consistent staff team who they could build trusting relationships with. Everyone told us staff were caring and patient. One person said, “The staff always turn up and I have never had a missed call. They stay the full time and there is never any rush. They are very tidy and respect my home. I have the same carers which is nice because you get to know them.”

People were supported by staff who had the skills and experience to help them to maintain and develop their independence. Staff treated people as individuals and respected their privacy and lifestyle choices.

The provider ensured people received a safe service with systems and processes in place which helped to minimise risks. Staff effectively reported any safeguarding matters. The registered manager investigated and resolved any concerns. All incidents were critically analysed, lessons were learnt and embedded into practice.

People were involved in decisions about the care they received, and staff knew how to communicate with each person to help them to make choices.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Medicines systems ensured people were receiving their medicines when they should. The provider was following national guidance for medication arrangements.

The provider was open and approachable which enabled people to share their views and raise concerns. People told us if they were worried about anything they would be comfortable to talk with a member of staff or the provider.

The management structure in the service ensured people and staff had access to, and support throughout the day and night.

The provider monitored quality, acted quickly when change was required, sought people's views and planned ongoing improvements.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection: Good (Last report published 19 August 2016).

Why we inspected: We inspected the service as part of our inspection schedule for ‘Good’ rated services.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

The inspection took place on the 18 July 2016 at the provider’s office in Alfreton. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of the inspection, as the service is a community service and we needed to make sure that the registered manager would be available to meet us. This was the first inspection of the service which was registered on 1 April 2014.

The service is a community service that provides care and support to people in their own homes. It currently provides personal care to 23 people in their own home in the Barnsley area of South Yorkshire.

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 kept safe by staff who were trained to safeguard them and provide effective care. Needs and risks were assessed and incorporated into care plans in agreement with people. Plans were reviewed regularly depending on individual need. There were sufficient numbers of staff to care for people. Staff who assisted with medicines had been suitably trained and their competency assessed.

Staff were trained and supported to deliver effective care that met individual need. New staff completed an induction and all staff had access to ongoing training to improve their practice. People were asked for consent before care was given. People were supported to have a healthy balanced diet and to keep hydrated. Staff supported people to access community health services in order to maintain their overall health.

Staff were kind and compassionate and developed positive and caring relationships with people. People felt listened to and respected. Staff promoted dignity and independence and supported people to be actively involved in making decisions about their care.

Staff clearly knew people’s needs and preferences and how to respond to these. Staff took time to get to know people and people contributed to their care planning and assessments. People were supported to maintain their interests and relationships in order to reduce feelings of isolation. People were encouraged to give feedback and the provider learnt from comments and complaints; using these to improve the service and the quality of care people received.

The registered manager had adopted an open and inclusive style of management where staff felt valued and supported. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities, and were motivated to improve the care people experienced. People felt the service was well managed and the management team was approachable and responded to concerns or changing need. There were quality assurance processes in place which were used to improve the quality of care, and also fed into the development plan.

The management team had the knowledge and skills to develop and deliver the service and were keen to improve and deliver a higher quality service. They were striving to develop an outstanding service and were open to ideas and suggestions to improve and progress toward their goal.