This inspection took place on 15 May 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in.

This was the first rating inspection of this service since they were registered with CQC on 25 August 2016.

The service is registered to provide personal care and support to younger and older adults, living in their own homes. People using the service have a range of needs which include dementia, old age, physical disability or learning disability. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support and personal care to six people who were living in their own homes or within a supported living facility within the community. Supported living enables people who need personal or social support to live in their own home supported by care staff instead of living in a care home or with family. The levels of support people received from the service varied, according to their assessed needs and levels of independence.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 and their relatives were full of praise and compliments about the staff who supported them. They described them as kind, caring and supportive. Staff went above and beyond when supporting people and this was recognised and commented on by people, relatives and other professionals. People were supported and encouraged to maintain their independence and have their voice heard. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and were respectful when supporting them with their needs. People were happy to recommend the service to others, based on their own positive experiences.

People were protected from harm because there were systems in place to identify and manage risks associated with their needs. Staff were aware of the risks to people on a daily basis and of their responsibilities to report any concerns they may have. For those people who were supported to take their medicines, systems were in place to ensure this was done safely and effectively.

People benefitted from being supported by the same consistent staff group, who had been introduced to them and were aware of their needs.

The recruitment process ensured people were supported by staff who were recruited safely and who had the values that represented the ethos of the service, which was to employ caring and compassionate people.

People were supported by staff who received a comprehensive induction and were well trained. The training programme ensured staff had the most up to date skills required to meet the individual needs of the people they supported. Additional training was identified and provided where required. Staff received regular supervision and were provided with the opportunity to discuss their learning or any concerns they may have.

For those who required it, support was offered at mealtimes to ensure people had sufficient food and drink. People were supported by staff who were aware of their health care needs and supported them to access healthcare appointments where necessary.

People were fully involved in the development of their care plans to ensure that care staff knew how to support them in the way they wanted to be supported. Care staff were aware of people’s likes and dislikes, what was important to them and how to support them in the way they wanted to be supported. People’s care needs were regularly reviewed. The service was responsive to people’s needs and kept staff up to date with changes in people’s packages of support.

Staff felt listened to and were well supported in their role and told us they felt valued and were proud t