Kare plus is a small domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people in their own homes. The organisation offers support to people living in Chelmsford and the surrounding area. The service started providing care to people in November 2016 this was therefore their first inspection since they became registered with the commission.

At the time of our inspection there were 27 people using the service. The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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 and associate Regulations about how the service is run.

People were safe and staff knew what actions to take to protect them from abuse. The provider had processes in place to identify and manage risk.

People received care from a consistent staff team who were well supported and trained. People were treated with kindness and respect by staff and their dignity was maintained.

Care staff understood the need to obtain consent when providing care.

The provider had systems in place to support people to take their prescribed medicines safely.

People were supported with meals and to make choices about the food and drink they received. Staff supported people to maintain good health and access health care professionals when needed.

Assessments had been carried out and personalised care plans were in place which reflected individual needs and preferences. The provider had an effective complaints procedure and people had confidence that concerns would be investigated and addressed.

The service benefitted from a clear management structure and visible leadership. A range of systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service being delivered and drive improvement.