This inspection took place on 19 December 2018 and was announced. Malindi Care Services Limited provides care and support to people living in a supported living setting, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

There was no previous inspection as the service started operating in November 2016. We did not give a rating to the service as there was a limited number of people that had started to use the service recently. There was not sufficient information about the experiences of enough people using the service over a consistent period of time to give a rating to each of the five questions and an overall rating for the service.

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 legal requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and the associated regulations on how the service is managed.

Staff had been trained to perform their roles in certain areas by the registered manager. However, the registered manager did not hold a qualification to deliver training. Therefore, important updates on certain areas may not have been covered effectively when training was delivered. The registered manager told us that training from external provider would be booked immediately. Staff we spoke to after the inspection confirmed that training had been booked and some had taken place.

Risks had been identified and information had been included on how to mitigate risks to ensure people received safe care. Staff were aware of how to identify abuse and knew who to report abuse to, both within and outside the organisation. Pre-employment checks had been carried out to ensure staff were fit and suitable to provide care and support to people safely. Staff told us they had time to provide person centred care. There were systems in place to reduce the risk and spread of infection.

Assessments had been carried out using the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) principles. The MCA provides a legal framework for making particular decisions on behalf of people who may lack the mental capacity to do so for themselves. The Act requires that as far as possible people make their own decisions and are helped to do so when needed. When they lack mental capacity to take particular decisions, any made on their behalf must be in their best interests and as least restrictive as possible.

People were cared for by staff who felt supported and staff received regular supervisions. People’s care and support needs were assessed regularly for effective outcomes. The service worked with health professionals if there were concerns about people’s health. Staff could identify the signs people gave when they were not feeling well and knew who to report these to. There was a weekly menu in place and people were provided with choices on their meal preference.

People had a positive relationship with staff. Relatives we spoke to told us that staff were caring. People’s privacy and dignity were respected by staff. People were involved with making decisions about their care.

Care plans were person centred and detailed people’s preferences, interests and support needs. People had access to complaints forms to raise concerns if needed and staff were aware of how to manage complaints.

Staff told us the culture within the service was open and transparent and told us the service was well-led. Relatives and staff were positive about the registered manager. People’s feedback was sought from surveys.