We inspected this service on the 12 and 16 January 2017 and the inspection was announced.

Everycare (Wessex) is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection the service was providing personal care support to 47 people. The service was run from an office in the centre of Dorchester.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

All people, relatives and staff spoke about the high quality service and management provided by the service. Without exception, comments made throughout the inspection were positive and reflected that people in receipt of support held the service in high esteem and could not identify any areas the service could improve upon.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities in protecting people from harm and knew how to report any concerns about people's safety or wellbeing. People had individual risk assessments and staff understood the risks people faced and their role in managing these.

People were supported by staff who were recruited safely and were familiar to them. People and relatives felt that staff had the sufficient skills and knowledge to support them .Staff received regular supervision and competency checks to ensure that they had the necessary skills to support people.

The service had clear emergency plans in place to support people and staff understood and used systems to report accidents or injuries so that this information could be used to ensure people were supported safely.

Staff understood what support people needed to manage their medicines safely and these were given as prescribed. There were processes in place to audit the accuracy of recording medicines.

Staff received a comprehensive induction and a wide range of learning opportunities at the service. There was a focus on recruiting the right staff to support people in ways which reflected the values of the service and respected people’s dignity.

Staff understood how to support people to make choices about the care they received, and encouraged people to make decisions about their care. Paperwork was in place to complete assessments and best interests decisions with people when this was required.

Where people received support from staff to eat and drink sufficiently, we saw that staff offered choices and prepared foods in the way people liked. Where people needed support from healthcare professionals, staff highlighted any concerns and requested referrals where appropriate.

People told us that staff who supported them were kind and helpful and we observed that staff supported people in the way they preferred and were aware of people’s likes and dislikes. There was a clear rapport between people and staff and we observed that people were comfortable with staff in their homes.

People’s care plans were person centred and included details about what people liked and how they wanted to be supported. People told us that they were involved in reviews about their care. Reviews were completed regularly and the information updated in people’s care plans in the office and their home.

People told us that they received a rota each week letting them know what staff were due to visit at what times. Where changes were needed to visits, or where staff were running late, people told us that the office made contact to let them know.

Feedback was gathered from people and staff using surveys and satisfaction calls and the information was used to drive improvements at the service.

People, relatives and staff felt that the management of the service was effective and they were able to speak with someone in the office and contact out of hours support eas

People received reliable and responsive care to meet their needs. One person told us, "They look after me well. They are brilliant."

Appropriate checks were undertaken before staff began work. Staff were supported during their induction period to ensure that they had the skills required for the role prior to a firm offer of employment. One member of staff told us, “The induction programme is part of the recruitment process.”

The provider had a system in place to assess and monitor the quality of service that people received. One person told us, “They do regular checks.”

People's care plan and risk assessments were accurate and fit for purpose. One member of staff told us, “Care plans are clear and easy to use.”