This was an announced inspection carried out on the 23 November 2016.

Embrace Quality Care is registered to provide personal care to people within their own homes in the Stafford area. The service is a private limited company, wholly owned by Katharine House Hospice, Stafford, which is a registered charity.

There was a registered manager in place. 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 registered manager of the service was also registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as the registered manager at Katharine House Hospice. The everyday running of Embrace Quality Care was delegated to the service manager, who was present through our inspection visit.

This service was last inspected in January 2014, when we did not identify any concerns with the care and support provided to people who used the service.

Staff were able to describe what action they would take if they had any concerns and demonstrated a good understanding of the different types of abuse.

Risks to people's safety were assessed and minimised.

There were enough staff to support people safely in people's homes.

The provider had appropriate arrangements in place to manage medicines safely. People were supported to take their medicines as prescribed.

People were supported by a staff team who had skills and knowledge to support people effectively.

Staff always sought consent before providing care and support to people.

Staff supported people to access health services as required.

The provider supported people to access a variety of health professionals to ensure they received effective treatment to meet their specific needs.

People were supported by staff who were kind and caring.

Staff treated people with respect and promoted their independence.

The provider actively involved people and their relative in decisions about their care.

People received support that was tailored to the individual needs and preferences.

The provider routinely and actively listened to people to address any concerns or complaints.

There was an open and inclusive culture.

The provider had clear vision and values that were person-centred and that ensured people, including staff, were at the heart of the service

The provider undertook a comprehensive range of checks to monitor the quality of service delivery.

Our inspection was discussed and arranged two days in advance. This was to ensure we had time to speak with staff and to contact people who used the service. We spoke with the managers, staff at the office, care workers, two people who used the service and two relatives.

People received safe and appropriate care because their individual needs were thoroughly assessed before care was agreed and delivered. Each care and support plan was regularly reviewed and updated when changes were identified. This ensured the provider could fully meet the needs of people and provide a quality service.

One person who used the service told us: “The staff are pleasant, kind and helpful”. Another person said: “I don’t know what I would do without the carers, they are all really good and I have no concerns whatsoever”.

Staff told us that they had sufficient time to spend with the people to meet their individual care needs. They told us that the training they received was appropriate for them to provide care and support in an effective and knowledgeable way.

An effective system was in place to gain the views of people that used the service. When issues were raised these were acted upon. The quality of people's service was well checked and monitored.