This inspection took place on 5 December 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice that we would be visiting the service. This was because we wanted to make sure staff would be available to answer any questions we had or provide information that we needed. We also wanted the provider to ask people who used the service if we could contact them. The service was registered in July 2015 and this was their first inspection.

The service is registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support and personal care to 89 people in their own homes.

There was a 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 supported by staff who were aware of the risks to them on a daily basis. Staff had received training in how to recognise signs of abuse and were aware of their responsibilities with regard to reporting and concerns and maintaining people’s safety.

For those people who were supported to take their medication, systems were in place to ensure this was done safely. People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff who had been recruited safely.

Staff felt well supported in their role and benefitted from an induction and training that provided them with skills they required to meet people’s needs effectively. Specialist training was sought to meet people’s particular healthcare needs. Staff routinely obtained people’s consent prior to supporting them and demonstrated a good working knowledge of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Staff were aware of people’s healthcare needs and the registered manager ensured people had access to healthcare services that would help them maintain good health and wellbeing.

People spoke positively about the staff who supported them and described them as kind and caring. Staff supported people in a way that maintained their privacy and dignity and encouraged them to maintain their independence. People were involved in the planning of their care and were supported to make their own decisions.

People’s care needs were regularly assessed and reviewed. People felt listened to and their views were regularly sought on the quality of the care they received. People were confident that if they did raise concerns, they would be dealt with appropriately.

People were complimentary about the registered manager and considered the service to be well led. Staff felt supported in their role, listened to and were aware of their roles and responsibilities. People were given opportunity to feedback on their experience of the service and there were a number of audits in place to assess the quality of the care and support people received.