We inspected this service on 21 November 2017. At our last inspection on 2 November 2015 we found the provider was meeting the regulations and we rated the care agency Good. Since our last inspection the service has changed provider, however was still trading under the same name and provides the same service. At this inspection we continued to rate the service as Good.

Knights is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It provides a service to older adults living in the North Lincolnshire and North Nottingham area. At the time of our inspection 26 people were receiving support. The service provides other support that is not regulated by us including support in the community.

The service had 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 felt safe when they received care and staff understood the importance of reporting any concerns. Risk assessments had been completed to ensure people were protected from risks and equipment and guidance was provided to ensure people were supported in line with their assessed needs. When people required support with their medicine, this was completed safely.

Care plans were available in people’s homes and any changes had been updated. Any changes had been communicated to the staff and checks had been completed to ensure they received the information before providing care.

There was a system in place to ensure there were sufficient staff to meet people needs. This was reviewed before any new care package was accepted. There were effective pre-employment checks of staff in place and effective supervision to support staff in their role. Staff confirmed they were well supported in their role. The registered manager felt supported by the provider and they had been involved in a range of ways to expand their knowledge. We found staff were trained in a range of areas to enable them to support people’s needs.

People who used the service and relatives had confidence in the staff and felt the service made a real difference to them remaining independent and within their own homes. This including staff respecting people’s dignity and privacy. We saw that staff obtained people’s consent before they supported them and gave them choices in their daily life to enable them to remain as independent as they wished.

People’s views had been obtained and used to develop improvements within the service. There had been no complaints; however people felt able to raise any concern’s and felt confident they would be addressed.

We saw the registered manager carried out a range of audits to identify areas for improvement to maintain the quality of the service. Developments had been made to consider how to expand the service and use technology to support the service on offer.

The registered manager had worked in partnership with different agencies and the other locations owned by the provider. They understood their registration with us and had displayed their rating in accordance with our guidance.

This inspection took place on 2 November 2015. Knights Home Care Services Ltd is a small domiciliary care service which provides personal care and support to people in their own homes. On the day of our inspection twenty people were receiving personal care from the agency.

The service had a registered manager. 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. On the day of our inspection the registered manager assisted us with the inspection process.

Staff had received training to ensure they had the knowledge to care for people in a safe manner and were protected whilst receiving care. Staff also understood their responsibilities in protecting people from abuse.

People received support to safely manage their medicines. They also received the support to maintain a good food and fluid intake. Systems were in place to identify risks to people’s health and staff were proactive in reporting any health related issues to external health care professionals.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) monitors the use of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).

We found the registered provider was aware of this legislation and ensured it would be used correctly to protect people who were not able to make their own decisions about the care they received.

People were treated with kindness and respect and their dignity was promoted. People were encouraged to be involved in the planning and reviewing of their care package to ensure their needs were met. Staff helped people to access the community when requested.

People could make comments on the quality of the service and there were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service.

The culture within the agency was open and the registered manager encouraged effective communication with their staff and people who used the service. People felt able to make a complaint and felt any complaints would be taken seriously.