This was our first inspection of Joy2care. The visit was announced and was carried out on 28 November 2017. The provider was given notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service. We needed to be sure that someone would be in the office.

The service provided domiciliary care and support to people living in and around the town of Carlton, Nottinghamshire. At the time of our inspection there were 53 people using the service.

The service’s provider is also the registered manager and as such is a 'registered person'. 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 told us they felt safe using Joy2care and felt safe with the staff team who provided their care and support. Relatives we spoke with agreed that their relatives were safe with the staff team who supported them.

The staff team had received training on the safeguarding of adults and were aware of their responsibilities for keeping people safe from avoidable harm or abuse. The provider and the management team were aware of their responsibilities for keeping people safe and knew to refer any concerns on to the local authority and Care Quality Commission (CQC).

People’s care and support needs had been identified and risks presented to either the people using the service or the staff team had been assessed and managed. There were arrangements in place to make sure that action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong, to improve safety across the service.

Appropriate checks had been carried out when new members of staff had been employed to make sure they were suitable to work at the service. Staff members had been suitably inducted into the service and relevant training had been provided to enable them to appropriately support the people using the service.

People told us there were enough staff members to meet their current needs. They told us they had regular members of staff who always turned up, never missed a visit and always stayed the correct length of time.

The staff team had received training in the management of medicines. People were supported with their medicines as prescribed by their doctor and in line with the provider’s medicines policy.

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 to maintain good health. They were supported to access relevant healthcare services such as doctors and community nurses when needed and they received on-going healthcare support.

People told us the staff team were kind and they were treated in a caring and respectful manner. They told us their care and support was provided in a way they preferred and choices were always offered.

People were supported in a way they preferred because plans of care had been developed with them and with people who knew them well. The staff team knew the needs of the people they were supporting because appropriate plans of care were in place which included people's personal preferences.

The provider had an end of life policy in place which showed the staff team how to provide high quality care for people as they approached the end of their life.

People had the opportunity to be involved in how the service was run. They were asked for their opinions of the service on a regular basis. This was through visits to people's homes and through the use of surveys.

Management monitored the service being provided to make sure people received the safe care and support they required. A number of auditing processes were developed to assist the formal monitoring process moving forward. A business continuity plan was in place for emergencies or untoward events.

The registered manager/provider was aware of their registration responsibilities including notifying CQC of