About the service: Essential Health Limited is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people who live in their own homes. The service specialises in supporting older people living with age related conditions. Not everyone who used the agency was receiving support with their personal care. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 31 people.

People’s experience of using this service:

People received a consistently good service that was safe and effective. Staff were kind and caring, knew people well and had a good understanding of their personalities as well as their health and social care needs.

People, their relatives and care managers had been fully involved in the assessment and planning of their care before they started using the service. A care plan had been developed with each person detailing their likes, dislikes, preferences and care needs.

Consent had been sought before any care had been delivered in line with legal requirements and people were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives.

Staff treated people and their relatives with kindness, dignity and respect. People’s privacy was protected and confidential information was stored securely. People were supported and encouraged to remain independent and do as much as possible for themselves.

Steps had been taken to make sure people were safe. Risks to people had been assessed and minimised in the least restrictive way. Staff had access to protective clothing such as gloves and aprons and had completed training in infection control.

Each person had their own team of safely recruited and trained staff who had a good understanding of their needs. Staff felt supported by the registered manager and had completed the training they needed to meet people’s assessed needs. Management and staff worked in collaboration with other stakeholders such as health and social care professionals and people’s relatives.

A complaints procedure was in place for people to follow.

The service met characteristics of Good in all areas more information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection: Good (report published 20 May 2016).

Why we inspected: We inspected the service as part of our inspection schedule methodology 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 3 March 2016 and was unannounced. This was the first inspection for the service since it was registered.

The service provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community and was supporting 18 people at time of our inspection.

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 who used the service received safe care and support from adequately trained staff who had been carefully recruited to support them in their own homes. People were protected from harm by the safeguarding policies and procedures in place. Staff knew how to question practice and how to recognise abuse and raise safeguarding alerts. People who required assistance to take their medication received support from staff who had been trained and knew people's individual medication support needs.

People had their individual needs met by competent staff who had the skills and training to give the right kind of care and support. New staff received induction training and were introduced to people over a period of time so that they knew how to meet people's specific care needs. All staff were supervised and supported to fulfil their roles. The provider complied with the requirements of the Mental capacity act 2005 and obtained consent from people or their representatives prior to offering care and support. People were supported to maintain good health. The provider made timely referrals to relevant health care professionals when people's needs changed and/or they became unwell.

Staff were kind and caring and had built positive relationships with people they supported. People trusted the staff to support them and meet their needs in a caring way.

People felt included in their care and informed. People were treated with dignity and respect and personal care was carried out in private. People thought the provider "went the extra mile" to ensure their well-being.

People received person centred care and support that met their individual assessed needs. The provider responded to people's changing needs and circumstances and care and support was flexible and adaptive. People were supported to engage in activities and interests of their choice in the community. People and their representatives were involved in the planning and reviews of their care plans. There was an accessible complaints procedure and people knew how to raise concerns.

The service was well-led and management was open and transparent. Staff felt supported in their roles and were encouraged to express their views and suggestions. There was a robust quality assurance programme in place and the provider actively sought the views of people in order to drive through improvements to the service.