This inspection took place on 2 May 2017 and was announced. This was the first rating inspection of the service.

The service is registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support and personal care to 25 people who were living in their own homes within a number of ‘supported living’ facilities 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. 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 were supported by staff who had been trained to recognise the signs of abuse and were aware of their responsibilities for reporting any concerns they may have.

Staff were aware of the risks to people and supported them to manage those risks in order to keep them safe. Accidents and incidents were reported appropriately and acted upon.

There were systems in place to ensure staff recruitment was robust. People were supported by a familiar group of staff who knew them well and any staff absences were covered by staff who were also familiar with the people they supported.

People were supported to safely take their medicines and regular audits were in place to ensure medicines were administered correctly and safely.

Staff received a comprehensive induction and training that provided them with the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs effectively. Staff felt supported and listened to and their practice was regularly observed.

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.

For those people who required it, support was offered at mealtimes and staff were aware of people’s dietary needs and preferences.

People were supported to access healthcare services and staff worked alongside other professionals in order to help people maintain good health.

People told us that the staff who supported them were kind and caring and they spoke warmly of the staff and management. People were treated with dignity and respect and supported to maintain and improve their independence.

People were involved in the planning of their care and were supported by staff who were knowledgeable about their likes, dislikes and preferences. People were encouraged to maintain friendships and were supported to be as independent as possible.

People were confident that if they raised any concerns, they would be listened to and acted upon.

People and staff all considered the service to be well led. There was a culture of openness and transparency and working together to support people to live their lives the way they wished.

Staff were motivated and supported in their role. There were a number of audits in place to assess the quality of the service provided and to drive improvement.