This inspection took place on the 25 and 26 April 2017 and was announced. The provider was given short notice of the visit to the office. This was because we needed to be sure key staff would be available at the office.

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.

Lotus Homecare is an agency providing personal care to people in their own homes. It predominantly provides the service in the Barnsley areas. At the time of this inspection the service was supporting 35 people with various care needs, from social support to maintaining people's independence with full personal care needs. Visits ranged from half an hour up to four hours for social sits and to give respite to family carers. The frequency of visits ranged from one visit per week to four visits per day depending on people individual needs.

People supported by the service and their relatives spoke very positively about Lotus Homecare. They told us they felt (their family members) were safe with the care staff from Lotus Homecare, and staff were respectful. People told us the support provided met their needs and the care staff were kind, caring and polite. People spoken with said despite having initial problems with changes in staff they now had regular care staff . They knew which care staff would be visiting to support them and care staff always arrived when they should and stayed the full length of time agreed.

We found systems were in place to make sure people received their medicines safely.

Staff recruitment procedures were thorough and ensured people’s safety was promoted. Although there had been a high turnover of staff at the service, there was now a stable staff team in place.

Staff were provided with relevant induction and training to make sure they had the right skills and knowledge for their role. Staff understood their role and what was expected of them. They were happy in their work, motivated and proud to work at the service. Staff were confident in the way the service was managed.

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.

Each person had a support plan that accurately reflected their needs and wishes so that these could be respected. Support plans had been reviewed to ensure they remained up to date.

Complaints were recorded and dealt with in line with organisational policy. People supported, and their relatives or representatives said they could speak with staff if they had any worries or concerns and felt they would be listened to.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Regular checks and audits were undertaken to make sure full and safe procedures were adhered to.

People using the service and their relatives had been asked their opinion via surveys and the results of these surveys had been audited to identify any areas for improvement.