The inspection took place on 27 January and 2 February 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our visit. This was because the service provided domiciliary care and support to people and we needed to be sure that people and staff would be able to talk to us.

The service was last inspected in February 2015. There were no breaches of the legal requirements at that time.

Options is registered to provide personal care and support to people in their own homes. On the day of the visit, there were seven people receiving personal care. There were also eighty people receiving other types of support services from the agency.

There was a registered manager for the service. 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.

Risks to people in their daily life were minimised. This was because staff knew what their responsibilities were in relation to keeping people safe from harm. New staff were employed after an in depth recruitment process. Visits were planned so that people received care and support that was safe and met their needs.

Where possible people were matched with staff who it was felt they would get on well with .This was to ensure they felt happy with them. The time and dates of visits was well planned. This meant that there was always enough time to provide safe care. People were supported by staff who were well qualified and competent. The staff team knew people well and this helped to ensure support was consistent for people.

People felt very happy with the care and support that they received from the staff. Their needs were being met effectively by staff who were competent and knew how to meet their needs.

People were supported by staff who were kind and caring in manner. Staff understood how to support people in a respectful and dignified way. Staff always discussed care with people and gained consent before providing support. Staff had a good understanding about people’s needs and preferences, and were knowledgeable about how to effectively communicate with each person they supported.

People were protected from the risks from unsuitable staff because the provider had recruitment procedure in place that aimed to ensure that only suitable staff were employed to work with people.

Support plans were written in an individualised way. They focused on each person’s goals, skills and long term wishes. Support plans were reviewed and evaluated regularly. This was to ensure that the planned care and supported people received was current and up to date.

People were supported with their health care needs and were supported with health and well-being appointments when needed. Staff also supported people to take part in a range of different activities and leisure opportunities.

Information was available about how to make a complaint and relatives said their concerns were addressed properly.

Staff, people who used the service and their relatives said they were easily able to speak with the registered manager. The registered manager carried out regular reviews of the service with people and relatives involvement. Their feedback was used to drive up improvements in the quality of the service people received.