The inspection took place on 9 August 2017 and was announced. This was the first inspection of this service.

Holderness Home Care is a small domiciliary care agency which is located in Withernsea, a village in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The service provides personal care and support to people living in their own home. At the time of the inspection 25 people were supported by the service.

The service had a manager who was registered in August 2016. 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 registered manager (who is also the registered provider) was present during this inspection. The registered manager will be referred to as 'manager' throughout the report.

Staff understood they had a duty to protect people from harm and abuse. They understood how to report concerns about potential abuse to the manager or local authority. This helped to protect people.

Care plans were in place to inform staff about people's individual needs. Risks to people's health and wellbeing, as well as potential risks in their home environment, were assessed and monitored. Staff contacted relevant health professionals for help and advice to help maintain people's health and wellbeing.

We looked at how the service was staffed. Two staff members spoken with said they were happy with how their visits were managed. They told us they were allocated sufficient time to be able to provide the support people required. We visited two people who used the service. They informed us they were satisfied with the care they received. They told us they were supported by the same group of staff who were reliable and never let them down with late or missed visits.

An 'on call' system was in place. This was provided by a care supervisor and the manager.

Staff had received infection control training during induction and were provided with a plentiful supply of appropriate personal protective equipment such as disposable gloves and aprons. This meant staff and people who used the service were protected from potential cross infection when delivering personal care.

We found staff had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and social needs. All staff received induction training which included subjects such as information governance, health and safety, basic life support, moving and handling and safeguarding. They worked alongside experienced staff and had their competency assessed before they were allowed to work on their own.

Staff we spoke with understood that if people lacked capacity to make their own decisions then the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 must be followed. Staff we spoke with told us how people consented to the care and support they received.

Staff were caring and they worked in ways which helped people to remain as independent as possible. Assistance was provided with preparing food and drinks as people needed. People told us the staff who visited them treated them with dignity and respect at all times.

People were provided with a complaints policy. This gave people information about how to make a complaint and how the issue raised would be investigated and responded to.

The care records of people, including people's medicine administration records, were looked at by the manager when they were returned to the service office for storage. They were also inspected during 'spot checks' undertaken by a care supervisor to monitor the quality of the service.

People spoke positively about the way the service was run. The manager and staff understood their respective roles and responsibilities. Staff told us that the manager was approachable and understanding.