This inspection was carried out on the 12 August 2016.High Peak Community Support provides care and support for people with a learning disability in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were six people using the service. The inspection was announced, and we gave the provider 48 hours’ notice to ensure there was a manager available to assist with the inspection process.

At the last inspection carried out on 28 and 31 October 2013 we found the provider was not meeting five regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) 2010. These were in relation to consent to care and treatment, care and welfare of people who use services, cooperating with other providers, assessing and monitoring the quality of service provision and peoples records. At this inspection we found improvements had been made.

There was a registered manager and manager at the service. 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.

The day-to-day management of the service and staff was carried out by a manager who was supported by a management team. The manager and management team had worked at the service for many years and had excellent knowledge about the people who used the service. The service was focused on the needs of individuals and there was a commitment by the managers and staff to ensure people received the care and support they wanted and needed.

Staff were safely recruited and followed the providers procedures. There were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. Staff were aware of their responsibilities to maintain people’s safety and protect them from avoidable harm and abuse.

Staff interacted with people in a kind, caring and supportive manner. People felt safe with the service they received. The care and support people received was reflective of their needs. People were supported to access health and social care professionals, to ensure they received they received effective care and support they required.

There were safe and effective systems in place to ensure people received their medicines at the time they needed them. People were supported to eat and drink; specialist instruction regarding food and drink preparation was followed.

Staff were knowledgeable about the people they supported. Staff received training to ensure their knowledge and skills were up to date.

People knew how and who to make a complaint to; the complaint procedure was made available to people and was in an easy read format.

Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service. People were encouraged to share their views and opinions on the service they received. People were able to provide feedback either in person, through questionnaires and in meetings.

We spoke with staff and managers at High Peak Community Support and were also invited by tenants at one property to visit their home. We also spoke with relatives of people who received support.

We were able to speak briefly with people who received support, but most information was gathered from the office base and other sources.

We found that High Peak Community Support had appropriate systems for the recruitment of their staff. We also found that staff were aware of ways to safeguard people from neglect or abuse.

We saw that High Peak Community Support used a range of procedures to monitor the quality of the service. Some aspects were not included in quality assurnace systems, however, including people's care records that were not sufficiently detailed to ensure people's wefare and safety.

We found no evidence in people's care files that they were involved in decisions relating to their care and support, or that people were provided with information about their service in a way they could understand. We also saw that there was little guidance for staff about how people could be helped to communicate their views and choices about their service, so that their wishes could be accommodated.

We found that care files did not include some important information, and that risk management procedures did not fully protect people from the risk of inappropriate or unsafe care.

We spoke with five people receiving care from High Peak Community Support. People told us they were happy with their care.

We found staff treated people with respect and encouraged them to develop their skills and be part of their community. We saw that people's needs were assessed and that care plans were in place. Care was not always planned and delivered, however, in a way that ensured people received appropriate care that met their needs We found that people's consent was not being obtained for their care and their care records were not always fully accurate and up to date.

We saw that people's views about the service were sought and that any required improvements were noted and followed up. Although some other systems were in place for monitoring the quality of service provided, these were not fully adequate to identify and manage risks.

People receiving care from High Peak Community Support were also supported by staff from other agencies. We found arrangements were not in place to ensure appropriate care planning took place so that people's welfare and safety were fully protected.