The inspection visits took place on 18 May and 23 May 2017. We gave the registered manager 48 hours’ notice of our inspection because we needed to be sure they would be available.

Homecare Assessment and Reablement Team (HART) Leicestershire provides short-term personal care and support to people in their own home following discharge from hospital. At the time of our inspection 298 people were receiving personal care and support from the service.

There was a registered manager in place. It is a requirement that the service has a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 felt safe with the support they received. Staff knew how to help people to remain safe and what action to take should they have concerns about a person being at risk of abuse or harm. Staff had assessed risks associated with people’s care and support. These were monitored to make sure the measures in place to guide staff continued to help people to remain safe. Staff had guidance and procedures to follow to make sure people received support in the event of an accident, injury or emergency.

The provider had recruited a suitable number of staff to make sure that people received the care they required when they needed it. Where people required assistance with their medicines, this was completed safely by staff who knew their responsibilities.

People received care and support from staff with the necessary skills and knowledge. Staff received training relevant to their role which helped them to offer good support to people. Staff knew people’s eating and drinking requirements and they took action where they were concerned about a person’s health.

People were asked for their consent before care and support was undertaken. Their rights were upheld and staff knew the action to take should they have concerns about a person’s ability to make decisions about their care and support.

People received care from staff members that was kind and supportive. People’s independence was promoted and staff actively encouraged people to retain or regain their skills. Staff protected people’s privacy and dignity and involved them in decisions about their care. Staff built relationships with the people they supported based on information they had gained about things that mattered to them.

People received care and support that was exceptionally well planned and carried out to meet their individual requirements. This included collaboratively working with other professionals to meet people’s specific requirements. People’s care and support was reviewed with them to make sure that their goals were being met and that they were satisfied with their support. People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint and there were opportunities for them to provide feedback. The provider responded comprehensively to any complaint received and took action to make improvements where this was required.

People, their relatives and staff all highly commended the service. There were open channels of communication and the registered manager was supportive and available. The registered manager was knowledgeable about their role and helped to support the wider care sector to improve.

Staff were aware of their responsibilities which included working to the provider’s aims and objectives. They received guidance and feedback on their work to make sure they delivered good quality care. The registered manager undertook their duties in line with their registration requirements with CQC. They had carried out or arranged for quality checks of the service to occur. This was with the aim of continuously driving improvement.