This inspection took place on 20 August 2016 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care and we needed to be sure that someone would be available.

Loving Care is a domiciliary care agency providing hourly support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection they were supporting 63 people.

There was 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.

The provider was taking steps to improve the way that person-centred information was gathered to ensure that care plans were person-centred.

Risks to people were assessed and reviewed regularly to ensure people's individual needs were being met safely. People’s medicines were administered by trained staff and records were up to date to ensure medicines were administered safely.

Staff were deployed in a way that ensured people received care from regular staff who knew them well. A contingency plan was in place to ensure that people’s care could be provided safely in the event of staff being late or unavailable. The provider carried out checks on staff to ensure that they were suitable for their roles.

People told us that staff knew them well and that they were respectful in maintaining privacy and dignity when providing care in their homes.

People were encouraged to be independent and staff worked with people to offer choices when supporting them at mealtimes.

Staff understood their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act and demonstrated a good understanding of how to offer people choice. Records showed that staff worked alongside healthcare professionals where changes to people’s mental capacity were identified.

People told us that staff were competent and skilled in carrying out their role. The provider had effective arrangements in place to train, supervise and provide induction to staff. Staff told us they felt supported by the provider and could call for assistance at any time.

People told us they were confident to raise any issues about their care. There was a complaints policy in place and there was evidence that complaints had been recorded, investigated and responded to.

The service had systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided through seeking people’s feedback and carrying out audits. People told us they had seen improvements in their care. The manager had a vision for the future of the service and was taking steps to overcome identified challenges.

At the time of this inspection the agency was providing personal care to 70 people. We telephoned them 48 hours before visiting to inform them of the inspection and to ask them to arrange for us to see two people who used the service in their homes.

We found that people or their representatives had been involved in the assessment and the planning of their care and its regular review. People we spoke with told us that they were listened to, treated with respect and felt safe.

People told us that they were satisfied with the quality of the service provided and received the support as described in their care plan. One person said "I am happy with my relative's care, particularly over the last year when their needs have increased and things have been quite challenging". Another said "My care is good, they spoil me and I would recommend them to anyone".

We saw that the medication system was robust and found that people were supported to receive their medicines safely and as prescribed.

The recruitment processes in place ensured that all staff had appropriate pre-employment checks before starting work and had undertaken the relevant training.

The provider had a system in place to assess and monitor the quality of the care and treatment people received. Feedback from people who used the service was sought and action was taken when required.

People who used the service told us they were treated with respect and consideration and that they were encouraged to express their views and talk about the care and support they needed. One person told us “I was involved in the planning of my care and I can always call the office if I need to change anything.” One person told us “The staff are all friendly and treat me very well; they cannot do enough for me!” We were told by people that they knew about the complaints procedure and had been told how to make a complaint about the service they received. One person told us “I know about the complaints procedure, I have been told about it but I have never needed to use it.”

Staff we spoke to demonstrated a good knowledge of the providers safeguarding policies and were able to clearly explain how they would recognise and report suspected abuse using the procedures the provider had in place. Staff told us the supervision and regular staff meetings enabled them to provide a good quality service to the people. One care worker told us “I feel confident to deliver the care needs of the people I support and the managers support me to improve both my knowledge and skills.” People were complimentary about the provider and the quality of the care they received, and spoke positively about the professionalism of care staff. One person told us “I am very happy with the service I receive, all the staff are professional in their approach and are able to support my needs.”

We spoke with four people using the service and five people’s carers who represent them.

All people said that they are happy with the care and support provided. All said that their plan of care is discussed with them, their agreed plan of care is carried out and in the main they receive their care from familiar staff.

A majority of people said that the staff are polite, caring and respectful.

People said the staff never miss their calls ,they usually visit them on time but if they are running late they always telephone. Some people were particularly appreciative that the staff visited them in the bad weather last winter

People said they would be confident to approach the agency if they had any concerns.