The office visit took place on 3 July 2017 and it was announced. We gave notice to the service to ensure that there were staff available to provide information for the inspection. We also made telephone calls to staff and people using the service on 10, 14 and 18 July 2017.

Novus Care Canvey Island is registered to provide personal care to older people and younger adults some of whom may be living with dementia, a physical disability and/or a sensory impairment. They also provide personal care to people with learning disabilities’ or autistic spectrum disorder and to people who misuse drugs and alcohol.

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.

People were protected from the risk of harm and received a safe service. Novus Care Canvey Island provided enough staff who had been safely recruited to help keep people safe and to meet their needs. Medication management was good and people were supported to take their medication as prescribed.

Experienced and well-trained staff supported people. The service supported people to have as much choice and control over their lives in the least restrictive way possible. People received sufficient support to have adequate food and drink and to maintain their health to ensure their individual needs and preferences were met.

Care workers were kind, caring and compassionate and knew the people they cared for well. People were supported to improve their independence as much as they were able to. People and their relatives repeatedly told us that care workers treated with them with dignity and respect. People and their relatives had been fully involved in the assessment and care planning process. Care plans were regularly reviewed and updated to reflect peoples’ changing needs. People were supported to do their own shopping, to go swimming and to have a manicure.

People were very positive about the quality of the service. The registered manager office staff and care workers were committed to providing people with good quality person centred care that met their needs and preferences. People felt able to complain and any complaints were dealt with quickly. There were effective systems in place to monitor the quality of the service and to drive improvements. The service met all relevant fundamental standards.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.