About the service: HF Trust - Worcestershire DCA provides personal care services to adults with a mental health issue and a learning disability, living in either their own home or supported living. At the time of the inspection there were 15 people receiving support with personal care.

People’s experience of using this service: People using the service benefitted from good care, delivered in a manner which was personal to them and based on their assessed needs. Relatives we spoke with praised both the care staff and the management for the work they did in ensuring good quality care was provided.

People told us they felt safe when being supported with care and said all the staff worked in a way that respected their privacy and dignity. People knew care staff well and welcomed them into their homes and their lives. Staff told us they felt supported by the senior support worker and organisation. People and relatives felt involved in care decisions and determining how they could be best supported.

People we visited looked happy and relaxed and spoke fondly and positively about staff. Staff we spoke with had a good understanding of people as individuals and the care and support they required. Relatives told us they felt involved in the care process and that they could contact the service at any time. The service supported people to engage with their local community and assisted them to attend a range of appointments.

Staff told us they were happy working for the service and there was a good team in place. They confirmed they could access a range of training and could contact senior staff in the organisation. Quality checking processes were in place, although these had faltered recently due to the absence of the registered manager and staff changes. We have made a recommendation about the management of the service. Staff felt confident about the future of the service.

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated as good. (report published April 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on previous rating.

Follow up: Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with schedule for those services rated as good.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

This inspection took place on 9 March and was announced.

HF Trust DCA Worcestershire provides personal care and support for people in their own home. There were 19 people using the service when we inspected and 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

All people felt the staff provided care that was safe and told us they had no concerns about their welfare. People also felt safe when staff were in their home or when they were with them while out of their home.

Staff knew what they would do if they felt a person was at risk of potential abuse and felt confident that any reported incidents would be addressed. People had their individual risks assessed so the staff knew how to respond to monitor and manage them. There were enough staff when people needed them in their home at the arranged times. People said they looked after their own medicines but staff would provide a check as a useful reminder.

All people we spoke with felt that the staff were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. Staff told us they received regular training and supervisions which helped them provide care to people they supported.

People were involved in making decisions about their care and their consent was appropriately obtained by staff when caring for them. Care plans detailed what support people needed and provide guidance for staff on how best to meet the care people wished to receive. People were supported to make their meals or staff prepared them where needed. People were involved in planning their meals and food shopping. Healthcare appointments were arranged for people if they needed assistance and staff were able to go with a person if they requested support.

People told us they liked the staff and their care needs were supported well. They also felt encouraged to be involved in their lives and choices and were happy that their dignity and privacy was respected. People spoke with us about all staff being accessible and supporting them when they had queries or concerns.

Everyone we spoke with felt the management team were available to talk with and would listen and act on any feedback provided on the service. The management team had kept their knowledge current with support from the provider and external professionals. The staffing team felt the provider and management team led by example and that they regularly checked on the quality of the care that people received.

We inspected the agency office and found that the agency provided care to a limited number of people. We met two people on the day of our inspection who used the agency. We spoke with both people who were able to tell us about their experiences of the service they received. We also spoke with the registered manager and two staff members.

We found people had been involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. People expressed their views on how they wanted to maintain their independence. Staff we spoke with told us they supported people in their choices.

We found consent had been obtained from people before care and treatment had been provided. We spoke with one person who used the service who told us: “I do what I want to do. If I don’t want to do anything, they don’t make me”. Staff we spoke with told us they respected people’s individual choices and decisions.

People were complimentary about the care and support they received. One person told us: “The support I get is very good”. Another person we spoke with said: "They are great".

The staffing levels for the agency were sufficient to meet the needs of the people they supported. People told us they received their care and support when they needed it.

The provider supported their staff and had made sure staff were trained to an appropriate standard to meet people’s needs.

The provider had an effective process in place that monitored the quality of the service that people received.

At the time of the inspection, the agency was providing care to a limited number of people. We inspected the agency office and spoke on the telephone with two people who use the service and one relative. We found people were able to express their views and had been involved in making decisions about their care and treatment.

People we spoke with were treated with dignity and respect in their own homes. People expressed their views on how they wanted to maintain their independence and care workers we spoke with told us how they supported people in their choice.

People were complimentary about the care and support they received. One person told us, “I am really happy with the care I get”. Another person said, “They are very good”.

We found that systems were in place to keep people safe. Care workers had received training in safeguarding people and knew how to respond to concerns.

The provider had systems in place to make sure checks were done and that care workers were suitable before they were able to work in people’s homes.

The three people we spoke with told us they had not felt the need to make a complaint because they were satisfied with the service.

People we spoke to told us they were happy with the care and support provided. They told us the service is flexible and meets their needs.