This inspection took place on 15 August 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider short notice of the inspection to ensure staff and people who used the service would be available to speak with us.

Halifax Care at Home Service provides 24 hour care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting at Ing Royde in Halifax. This allows people to live in their own home as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support. When we inspected 13 people were receiving personal care.

At our previous inspection in August 2017 we rated the service as ‘Requires Improvement’. We identified one regulatory breach [Regulation 17] which related to good governance specifically the medicine records. This inspection was to check improvements had been made and to review the ratings.

The home had a registered manager who commenced in post in February 2017. 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 told us they received their medicines when they needed them. We found improvements had been made to the medicine records which were well completed. Medicine audits were more thorough and effective in identify and addressing issues.

People told us they felt safe with the staff who provided support. There were systems in place to protect people from the risk of harm. Staff we spoke with were able to explain the procedures to follow should an allegation of abuse be made. Assessments identified risks to people and management plans to reduce the risks were in place to ensure people's safety. There were sufficient staff deployed to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People were very happy with the support and care they received. They spoke highly of the staff who they said treated them with respect and maintained their dignity. People spoke positively about the range of activities and events they could access at Ing Royde. Care records were accurate and reflected people’s needs, providing staff with an overview.

People’s nutritional needs were meet and they had access to healthcare professionals as and when needed. People received end of life care that was tailored to meet their wishes and preferences.

Staff received an induction, supervision and training. People felt staff were well trained and knew what they were doing. Robust recruitment procedures ensured staff were suitable to work in a care setting.

People we spoke with raised no concerns but knew the processes to follow if they had any complaints and were confident these would be dealt with.

People and staff praised the way the service was run. We saw systems were in place to monitor the quality of service delivery. The registered manager promoted a positive and inclusive ethos which focused on looking at ways in which the service could be improved for people.

This inspection took place on 8 August 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider short notice of the inspection to ensure staff and people who used the service would be available to speak with us. This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered in September 2016.

Halifax Care at Home Service provides 24 hour personal care for adults in supported living accommodation. When we inspected there were 32 people using the service, however only 15 of these people were receiving personal care which is the part of the service the Care Quality Commission regulates.

The home had a registered manager who commenced in post in February 2017. 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 told us they felt safe and said staff provided them with the care and support they needed. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. Our discussions with staff showed they knew people well.

People praised the staff for their kind and caring manner. They said staff were patient and allowed people to do things at their own pace. People’s privacy and dignity was respected. People’s social care needs were met.

Recruitment processes were robust and staff told us the induction and shadowing they received was comprehensive and prepared them for their roles. We saw staff received the training and support they required to meet people’s needs.

Staff had a good understanding of safeguarding and whistleblowing.

People told us they received their medicines when they needed them. However, we found the medicine recording systems needed to improve.

People’s care records provided detailed information about their needs and focussed on what people could do for themselves as well as the support they required from staff. Risk assessments showed any identified risks had been assessed and mitigated. We saw people had been involved in the care planning process. There was full information about people’s lives which included important relationships, life history and any interests, likes and dislikes. People’s nutritional needs were met.

People were provided with the complaints procedure and knew how to raise concerns. We saw complaints received had been dealt with appropriately.

There were policies and procedures in place in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the registered manager knew the procedures to follow.

People and staff spoke highly of the registered manager and the way the service was run. People were consulted and involved in decisions about the service. Quality assurance systems were in place. We have made a recommendation about broadening the scope of medicine audits. We identified one breach of regulation which related to good governance. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.