This inspection took place on 26 and 27 April 2018 and was announced. The inspection was undertaken by one inspector.

Home Instead Senior Care East Dorset and Blandford is a franchise of the Home Instead brand and it provides personal care services to people living in the East Dorset and Blandford areas. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to adults, people living with dementia and adults with a physical disability. At the time of our inspection the service provided personal care to 13 people, the majority of whom required help to maintain their independence at home.

The service calls their care workers 'caregivers' which is the name they are referred to throughout this report. We also refer to other staff by title or staff.

There was a registered manager in place. 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.

This was the first inspection of this service since it was registered.

People received care from staff that were caring, kind and compassionate. People and their relatives spoke very highly of staff.

People told us they felt safe. All staff were clear about how to report any concerns and were confident that any concerns raised would be responded to. The registered manager knew how and when they should escalate concerns following the local authorities safeguarding protocols.

The registered provider had a system in place to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed. Staff received training to administer medicines safely.

People received person centred care from staff who had the right knowledge and skills to meet their needs. Staff were supported to carry out their roles.

People's needs were assessed and their care was planned to maintain their safety, health and wellbeing. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them to maintain their independence where possible.

There were systems in place to monitor incidents and accidents.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect and asked for people’s consent before providing care.

Staff told us there was good communication with the management of the service and they felt supported.

The provider had processes in place to monitor the delivery of the service. People's views were obtained through surveys, one-to-one meetings and meetings with people's families.

The provider had a process in place to enable them to respond to changes in people's needs and any concerns. Staff told us they would respond to any concerns and seek advice from healthcare professionals where necessary.

Staff were knowledgeable about people's needs and told us they left drinks and snacks for people where required.

People and their relatives told us the service was well managed and told us the registered manager would respond to any concerns.

The management team were proactive in identifying continuous learning to drive improvements within the service.