The inspection took place on 12 July 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice as we needed to be sure the registered manager would be available to talk to us. The service was last inspected in January 2014 when it was issued with a requirement notice relating to staff recruitment. The service had addressed this issue and staff recruitment was now completed safely.

Home Care Assistance UK Ltd is a domiciliary care service providing personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection they were providing support to one person.

The service had 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

Relatives told us they felt sure that people were receiving personalised care in a safe way. Staff described the measures they took to reduce risks and provide safe support. Written risk assessments did not contain the level of detail required and relied on staff knowledge. We have made a recommendation about risk assessments.

Staff received training to ensure they had the knowledge and skills required to perform their roles and responsibilities. This included specialist training on the use of equipment and health issues. Staff told us they received regular support and supervision from the registered manager but this was not recorded. We have made a recommendation about supervision of staff.

People were supported to eat and drink enough and to maintain a balanced diet. Staff worked closely with health professionals to ensure that people’s health needs were met.

Staff described how they offered people choices and respected their decisions. The service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Staff demonstrated a caring attitude towards people they supported. Relatives spoke highly of the attitude of the staff and registered manager. People were supported to maintain their friendships and relationships.

Relatives told us the service was flexible and made changes according to people’s needs. Staff knew the details of how to support people according to their preferences and how to respond if their needs changed. This was not consistently reflected in the care plan. We have made a recommendation about care plans.

The service had a robust complaints policy with clear timescales for action. The service had not received any complaints.

The service had a positive culture that was focussed on providing personalised support to people in their homes. Relatives and staff told us the registered manager was approachable and contacted them daily to ensure the quality of the service. The registered manager did not record these contacts. We have made a recommendation about quality assurance mechanisms.

People expressed their views and were involved in making decisions about their care and treatment. A relative told us that their family member was treated with respect and involved in planning their care. They said "I can't praise them enough, they have been fantastic." Care plans and risk assessments were in place which set out how to meet people's individual assessed needs. Relatives told us they were happy with the care provided. One relative said "I like their approach; they know what they are doing."

People who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening. A relative told us that they felt their family member was safe when carers were at their home. They also told us they knew who they could complain to if need be, saying "I would talk to the manager if I had any concerns."

The service did not have an appropriate staff recruitment and selection procedure in place and did not carry out all required checks on staff such as employment references.