This inspection took place on 3 August 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice of our visit because the location provides domiciliary care and we needed to make sure there would be someone in the office at the time of our visit.

Hodman Care Ltd is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide personal care to people who wish to remain in their own homes. The agency provides services in Leicester and supports people with a range of needs including complex health needs. At the time of our inspection there were two people using the service supported by eight staff.

This was our first inspection of the service since they registered with us.

The service did not have a registered manager in post. The registered provider was overseeing the management of the service while they recruited to the post of 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.

People were kept safe from the risk of harm. Staff knew how to recognise the signs of abuse and who to raise concerns with. The registered provider had effective systems in place to identify, assess and manage risks to the health, safety and welfare of people. Risk assessments were detailed and regularly reviewed and updated if a new situation or new needs arose.

People were supported by the number of staff identified as necessary in their care plans to keep them safe. There were robust recruitment processes in place to ensure new staff were suitable to support people.

People were supported by staff who had received appropriate training. The registered provider made sure that staff were provided with training that matched the needs of people they were supporting. Staff received regular support and supervision which enabled them to provide people with effective care.

The registered provider and staff understood the relevant requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and how it applied to people in their care. Staff sought consent from people before providing care and understood people's right to decline their care and support.

Where necessary, people were supported to maintain their health and well-being which included support with meals and drinks in line with their preferences.

People spoke about staff as being caring, respectful and provided care in the way they wanted it. People confirmed they had been involved in the planning and development of their care. Staff promoted and upheld people's right to privacy and dignity and understood their role in enabling people to maintain their independence.

People's care plans were person centred, detailed and written in a way that described their individual care needs. These were regularly evaluated, reviewed and updated. This meant staff were provided with clear information and guidance about how people preferred to be supported and their personal objectives met.

The registered provider had a complaints policy which provided people with clear information about how to raise any concerns and how they would be managed. People confirmed they felt comfortable to raise concerns with the registered provider and were confident these would be addressed.

The registered provider had systems in place to monitor the quality of the care people received. These included audits of key aspects of the service, such as records and staff working practices. The registered provider used outcomes of audits together with the views of people to drive improvements and develop the service.