Forget Me Not Home Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It is registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes in the community, including older people; people with physical disabilities and people living with dementia.

The service was first registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in December 2016 and became operational in March 2017. We conducted this first comprehensive inspection of the service on 4 and 8 January 2018. The inspection was announced. On the first day of our inspection nine people were receiving a personal care service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers (‘the provider’) 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. Forget Me Not Home Care Ltd operates from an office in The Old Hall (a care home registered separately with CQC) and the registered manager of the service was also the registered manager of The Old Hall.

In establishing Forget Me Not Home Care Ltd, the provider’s stated aim was to provide people with a service that was ‘completely tailor made to your needs as we work around you, for you and with you to [enable you] to carry on living an independent life’. In the service’s first 10 months of operation, this commitment to creating a fully person-centred service, had undoubtedly been achieved.

People were at the heart of the service. Staff had a deep understanding of each person’s individual needs and preferences and used this knowledge to provide them with flexible, responsive support which enhanced the quality of their lives. A minimum call time of one hour ensured staff had sufficient time to meet people’s physical and emotional needs in a holistic way, without rushing. The provider had a meticulous approach to call scheduling which meant people’s care calls were never late and were often early –something people were very pleased about. People knew which member of staff would be covering each call and were introduced personally to each new member of staff before they started providing them with care. People were closely involved in the development of their individual care plan and met with the provider on a monthly basis to discuss and agree any changes.

Staff were caring and friendly and supported people with kindness and compassion in ways which often went far beyond the provider’s formal contractual agreement. People were treated with dignity and respect and were encouraged to retain their independence and exercise choice and control over their lives. End of life care was provided with sensitivity and compassion.

Inspired by the registered manager’s determination to pioneer new ways of providing homecare, there was a strong culture of innovation within the service. A number of successful initiatives had been introduced in support of the provider’s vision of a wholly person-centred service. Systems were in place to identify organisational learning from significant incidents and the provider was committed to the continuous improvement of the service in the future.

Without exception, people told us they were completely satisfied with the service they received and could think of no ways in which it could be improved. People also said they had no reason to complain about the service but were confident any complaint would be handled properly if they did. The provider maintained a range of auditing systems to monitor service delivery and ensure it remained in line with people’s needs and preferences.

The registered manager demonstrated strong, inspirational leadership which was clearly admired and appreciated by her team. The provider went to considerable lengths to promote the welfare and happiness of the staff team. Staff had the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs and were enc