Phoenix Care Services is a domiciliary care agency that provides care and support to adults in their own homes. At the time of inspection, 32 people used the service. The service provided support for people in tasks such as cooking, shopping, general domestic tasks and personal care.

People who receive a service include those living physical frailty or memory loss due to the progression of age. The agency also provides services to people living with dementia and people with mental health needs.

The service had a registered manager, who was present on the day of the inspection visit. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were protected from avoidable harm. We saw that staff received training in safeguarding adults and were able to demonstrate that they knew the procedures to follow should they have any concerns.

There were sufficient staff to keep people safe and to ensure that visits were completed within the agreed times. There was robust recruitment procedures in place to ensure that staff were safe to work with vulnerable people.

Staff had written guidance about risks to people health and safety and how to manage these. Risk assessments were in place for a variety of tasks like personal care, activities and the environment and were updated frequently.

People's human rights were protected as the registered manager ensured that the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 was followed. Staff assumed people had capacity to make decisions regarding their care, unless documentation was available to provide information that they do not.

People were happy with the support they received for example personal care and meal preparation. Changes in people's health care needs and their support was reviewed when required. If people required input from other healthcare professionals, this was arranged for them by staff.

People were supported by staff to maintain and improve their health and well-being. Staff supported people to have regular access to health and social care professionals.

Staff were trained and had sufficient skills and knowledge to support people effectively. There was a training programme in place and training to meet people's needs. Staff received regular supervision.

Positive and caring relationships had been established between people who received care, their families and the staff. We were told by people and their families that the staff interacted with people in a kind and caring manner.

People, their families, staff and other professionals were involved in planning people's care. We saw that people's choices and views were respected by staff. People's privacy and dignity was respected.

People received a personalised responsive service. Staff ensured that they supported people in ways that was their preferences and wishes and they were adhered to. People were supported by staff to maintain or to develop their daily living skills to promote their independence.

The care plans were person centred and contained clear, detailed information telling staff what support people wanted and how they wanted it.

The service was well led. The service listened to people, their families, staff and Social and Health professional’s views. The management welcomed feedback from people and acted upon this if necessary. The registered manager actively sought, encouraged and supported people's involvement in the improvement of the service by asking them to provide feedback formally by completing an annual quality check or informally during visits or telephone conversations. There were robust procedures in place to monitor, evaluate and improve the quality of care the service provided. The registered manager was passiona

We spoke with two people who used the service and one relative on the telephone. They were all satisfied with the care and support they received and were happy with the way they were treated. One person told us, "I look forward to seeing them so much (staff). They are like family to me". A relative said, "They're always here on time and don't seem rushed at all".

We saw that people's consent was obtained where possible before care and treatment was undertaken. We observed that the care given was safe and appropriate and based on effective care planning and risk assessments. This meant that people's individual needs were met and preferences were taken into account.

People were protected from abuse and cared for in a safe and inclusive environment. We also noted that people were cared for, or supported by, suitably qualified, skilled and experienced staff. In addition, the provider had an effective system to regularly assess and monitor the quality of service that people received.