This inspection took place on 29 September, 5 and 13 October 2016. Newark Regional Office is registered to provide personal care to people living in supported living environments and to people living in their own home. At the time of our inspection there were 13 people using the service.

There was an area manager (manager) in place who had applied to become the registered manager for the service. Their application was still being processed. The manager was available during the 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.

People received safe and effective care from staff. Staff had a good understanding of the various types of harm and their roles and responsibilities in reporting any safeguarding concerns.

Staff had information available about how to meet people’s needs.

There were sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s care needs and staff were recruited safely. Staff received regular training and supervision and were able to reflect on the care and support they delivered.

People received their medication as prescribed. Staff were able to explain the process they followed when supporting people to safely take their medication.

People’s rights were protected under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were supported to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their nutritional needs. External health professionals were involved in people’s care when required.

People’s care plans reflected their individual needs and personal wishes. People and their relatives were involved in the development of their care plans and these were reviewed regularly.

The service encouraged feedback from all people involved with the service. A complaints process was in place. People and relatives felt able to make a complaint and felt confident that staff would respond appropriately.

People were very satisfied with all aspects of the service provided and spoke highly of both staff and management team. People received care and support from kind and caring staff, who respected their privacy and dignity at all times.

People had confidence in the manager and the way the service was run. There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. The vision and values of the staff team were person-centred and made sure people were at the heart of the service.

Prior to our visit we reviewed all the information we had received from the provider. During the visit we spoke with four support workers, one of whom was a team leader. We also spoke with an operations support officer, a regional manager and the head of service. We also looked at some of the records held in the service including the care files for three people. We were not able to speak to any people who used the service.

We were unable to speak or observe any people who used the service as none came to the office during this inspection. However their experiences were captured through records and other information we received from workers involved in their support and care.

Prior to our visit we reviewed all the information we had received from the provider. During the visit we spoke with three people who used the service and one relative and asked them for their views. We also spoke with two care workers, two team leaders and the regional manager for Newark. We visited one supported living property and looked at some of the records held in the service including the support files for five people.

We found people gave consent to their care and received care and support that met their needs. A person who used the service told us, “I get to decide what I want to do, if I want to cook something I say so.” A relative told us, “We feel the service is very very good. They do what we want, if they say they are going to be there they are there.”

We found people who used the service were kept safe and protected from harm. Staff knew how to respond to any allegation of abuse. We asked a person if they felt safe in the home and they replied, “Staff tell us to lock doors and to be careful crossing roads. They make sure I am safe.”

We found there were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs. A person told us, “We have the same staff, they know what they are doing.” We found the provider assessed and monitored the quality of the service. “We have house meetings, we talk about all sorts, we say if anything needs repairing.”