This inspection took place on 7 June 2017 and was announced. We gave the registered manager 48 hours’ notice of our intention to undertake an inspection. This was because Homecare4u provides personal care for people who live in their own homes and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office.

At the time of our inspection 44 people received personal care in their own homes.

There was a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. 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.

Staff we spoke with knew how to protect people from harm. We found staff recognised the signs of abuse and knew how to report this. Staff made sure risk assessments were in place and took actions to minimise risks without taking away people’s right to make decisions.

People told us there were enough staff to help them when needed. Staff told us there were enough staff to provide safe care and support to people. Advanced planning meant that staffing levels were reviewed and reflected the needs of people who used the service. People’s medicines were checked and managed in a safe way.

People received care and support which met their needs and preferences and in line with their consent and agreement. Staff understood and recognised the importance of this. We found people were supported to eat a healthy balanced diet and were supported with enough drinks to keep them healthy. We found staff supported people with access to healthcare professionals, such as their doctor or hospital appointments.

People told us they were involved in planning their care. People’s views and decisions they had made about their care were listened and acted upon. People told us that staff treated them kindly, with dignity and their privacy was respected.

We found people knew how to make a complaint and felt comfortable to do this should they feel they needed to. Where the provider had received complaints, these had been responded to. Learning had been taken from complaints received and actions were put into place to address these.

Staff felt supported by the registered manager to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively, through training and staff meetings. We found checks the registered manager completed on the service provided focused upon the experiences of people. Where areas for improvement were identified, systems were in place to ensure lessons were learnt and used to improve staff practice.