This inspection took place on the 16 and 17 January 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice that we would be visiting. This was because the provider offers a supported service to people living in their own homes and we wanted to make sure that people and staff would be available to speak with us.

Midland Care Support and Enablement Ltd is a community based adult social care service, registered to provide personal care for persons within their own home. They currently provide a service for seven people.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

Midland Care Support and Enablement Ltd had not previously been inspected, this was their initial rating inspection. Although the provider had been registered with us since October 2015, they had not started to provide a service until December 2016

People were kept safe. Staff had received training and understood the different types of abuse and knew what action they would take if they thought a person was at risk of harm. Staff were provided with sufficient guidance on how to support people’s medical support needs. People were kept safe by staff that were able to recognise the signs of abuse and raise concerns if needed.

People were supported by staff that had been safely recruited. People felt that they were being supported by staff with the appropriate skills and knowledge to care and support them. People were supported with their medication by staff that had received appropriate training.

Staff were trained and supported so that they had the knowledge and skills to enable them to care for people in a way that met their individual needs and preferences. People were supported to make choices and were involved in the care and support they received. Staff had an awareness of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding (DoLS).

Staff were caring and treated people with dignity and respect. People’s choices and independence was respected and promoted and staff responded to people’s care and support needs.

People and staff felt they could speak with the provider about their worries or concerns and felt they would be listened to and have their concerns addressed.

The provider had quality assurance and audit systems in place to monitor the care and support people received to ensure the service remained consistent and effective. The provider ensured that all policies and procedures were kept up to date with current guidance and legislation.