The inspection visit took place on 31 October 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice because the service is a small home care agency and the registered manager is often out of the office supporting staff or providing care. We needed to be sure they would be in.

The service provides personal care and support to people who live in their own home in Leicester and villages to the west of Leicester. At the time of our inspection nine people were supported with personal care.

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.

People who used the service were safe. They were supported and cared for by staff that had been recruited under procedures that ensured only staff that were suited to work at the service were employed. Staff understood and discharged their responsibilities to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm. They advised people about how to keep safe in their homes. People who used the service consistently told us they felt safe when they received care and support.

People’s care plans included risk assessments of activities associated with their personal care and support routines. The risk assessments provided information for care workers that enabled them to support people safely but without restricting their independence.

Enough suitably skilled and knowledgeable staff were deployed to meet the needs of the people using the service. This meant that home care visits were made at times that people expected.

People were reminded to take their medicines by staff who were trained in medicines management.

Care workers were supported through supervision and training. People who used the service told us told us they felt staff were very well trained and competent.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2015. Staff had awareness of the MCA and understood they could provide care and support only if a person consented to it and if the proper safeguards were put in place to protect their rights.

Staff understood the importance people having health diets and eating and drinking. They supported people mainly by heating ready prepared meals but gave more support if people or their relatives requested it.

People were involved in decisions about their care and support. This happened when care workers visited them and when their care plans were reviewed by the registered. They received the information they needed about the service and about their care and support.

People told us they were treated with dignity and respect. The registered manager actively promoted values of compassion and kindness in the service.

People contributed to the assessment of their needs and to reviews of their care plans. Their care plans were centred on their individual needs. People knew how to raise concerns if they felt they had to and they were confident they would be taken seriously by the provider. When people expressed preferences about their care and support these were acted upon by the service.

The provider had effective arrangements for monitoring the quality of the service. These arrangements included asking for people’s feedback about the service and a range of checks and audits. The quality assurance procedures were used to identify and implement improvements to people’s experience of the service. The provider sought the views of staff about how the service operated.