About the service: Ignite Health and Home Care Service is registered as a domiciliary care agency providing the regulated activity 'personal care' to people who live in their own homes. At the time of the inspection visit there were 151 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service:

People who used the service and relatives told us they felt safe and staff treated them with respect. People were supported to remain safe in their own homes because staff were aware of the risks associated with people's needs and home environments and how to reduce these. Staff followed the provider’s safeguarding procedures and understood their responsibilities to keep people safe from abuse. People were supported with their medicines safely where this was required in accordance with their care plan.

People were supported by staff who had the necessary skills and knowledge to understand and meet people's needs. The provider followed appropriate recruitment procedures to assure themselves prospective staff were suitable to work with people who used the service. The provider had redesigned their induction arrangements for new staff to make sure care provided continued to be effective in meeting people’s needs. The management and senior staff team assessed staffing arrangements and made sure these met people’s individual needs. Staff felt supported in their caring roles.

People’s needs and choices were assessed before they received a care in their own homes to ensure these could be met effectively. Where required people were supported with eating and drinking in line with their care plans so they remained well. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were supported by kind and caring staff. People and their relatives were encouraged to be involved in making decisions about their care. People received care from staff who respected their privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

People’s care plans had been improved to reflect people's likes and dislikes and personal preferences. People and/or their relatives had discussed their care needs with staff and were involved in the care planning process. Staff understood people’s preferences and individual communication needs. People’s end of life wishes were considered when needed and plans put in place to ensure people received personalised care at that time of their life.

People were aware of how they could raise a complaint or concern if they needed to and had access to the provider's complaint’s procedure.

The management, senior staff team and provider used systems to monitor the quality of the service, which included responding to feedback from people in relation to the standard of care provided in their own homes. The management team showed a responsive approach to making ongoing improvements following visits from local authority commissioners.

Rating at last inspection:

The rating at the last comprehensive inspection undertaken on 31 October 2017 was rated good. The report was published on 25 September 2018.

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection based on previous overall rating of good.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned for future dates.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Ignite Health and Homecare Services Ltd is registered to provide personal care for people who live in their homes. At the time of our inspection 80 people were receiving personal care in their own homes.

The inspection took place on 31 October 2017 and was unannounced.

A registered manager was in post at the time of our inspection and was present for the inspection. The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with 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.

At this inspection we found the provider was in breach of a regulation. This was because the provider had failed to display their current inspection ratings on their website. This is a legal requirement to show people had access to the ratings to inform their judgments about services.

People received the care and support they needed from staff to feel and be as safe as possible within their own homes. Staff understood how to report concerns about potential abuse, and took action to make sure people were protected from harm. People's needs were assessed and any potential risks to people and staff were identified before any new services commenced. Environmental risks were also assessed within people's homes to help avoid any potential accidents to people who used the service or staff. People who needed staff assistance to take their medicines were supported to do this so their health needs were safely met.

An on-going recruitment programme was in place which showed staff only commenced work once their suitability to support people in their own homes had been checked. Staffing levels were monitored to make sure there were enough skilled and experienced staff to meet people's assessed needs. Staff undertook training in a variety of subjects to support and develop their skills. Staff were provided with regular support to help them carry out their roles which included direct checks of their care practice.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. This included involving people in decisions about their day to day care. People were consulted about the type and amount of care they received and their needs and wishes were understood and followed by staff. Where people required support with their meals and drinks this was provided by staff who followed people’s preferences. People were supported to access healthcare services when required and staff were aware of people's health needs.

Care plans and risk assessments were updated as people's needs changed. People valued the relationships they had built up with staff who regularly provided their care and support. Staff knew what was important to people and had learnt how they liked to be supported with their care. People were positive about how staff respected their privacy, dignity and independence.

The provider and registered manager listened to what people had to say and took action to resolve issues or concerns when they were raised with them. There were systems in place for handling and resolving concerns and more formal complaints.

There was a range of quality monitoring systems in place where senior staff had completed various quality checks and reviews which were documented with improvement actions taken where required. The provider and registered manager met regularly with staff at meetings where they reviewed and reflected on the systems they had in place to manage the service. When action was needed they responded in ways which supported them to keep developing and improving practices for the future. This included reminding staff about areas of their practices which

This inspection took place on 17 September 2015. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our intention to undertake the inspection. This was because the service provides domiciliary care to people in their own homes and we needed to make sure someone would be available at the office.

Ignite Health and Home Care Service is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 28 people received care and support services.

There was a registered manager in place who is also the registered provider. 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 who used the service were safe as care staff had a clear understanding of the risk associated with people’s needs. There were sufficient numbers of staff, who had a good understanding of their responsibilities to report suspected abuse. Medicines were administered by care staff that had received training to do this. The provider had procedures in place to check that people received their medicines effectively and safely to meet their health needs.

Care staff had been recruited following appropriate checks on their suitability to support people in their homes and keep them safe.

People told us they received care from a care staff who knew them and understood their likes, dislikes and preferences for care and support.

People told us they were supported by staff to maintain their independence. We saw people were involved in their care planning and staff understood they could only care for and support people who consented to being cared.

The provider and office staff were accessible and approachable. The service encouraged an open office where staff could ‘pop in’ at any time to discuss any issues or just talk socially.

The provider ensured regular checks were completed to monitor the quality of care.

When we carried out our inspection of the agency it was providing personal care for 26 adults in their own home. During this inspection we spoke with the staff who worked at the agency office. Following our inspection we spoke with five people who used the service on the telephone. In addition we spoke with six members of staff who visited people to provide care.

They told us that the staff arrived on time and stayed for the agreed length of time. Comments included: “They are very caring” and: "Really lovely girls".

People told us they were happy with the staff and that they knew how to care for them. One person told us that: "They know what to do to help me”. Staff we spoke with told us that they had received training and support before they started work at the agency. One staff member told us: “I’ve had lots of training here” and “I feel confident in my job”.

The provider was able to demonstrate that they listened to people who used the service and regularly reviewed and monitored the care to make sure people received appropriate care.