This inspection of Platinum Care took place on 31 May 2018. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice of our plans to complete an inspection. This was because the service provided a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the office to assist with our inspection.

Platinum Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community in Cheshire. It provides a service to older adults and those with a physical disability or sensory impairment. Not everyone using Platinum Care receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

Platinum Care registered with the CQC on the 30 March 2016 and had previously operated from a different location before moving to its current location in July 2016. This was the first inspection of Platinum Care. At the time of our inspection, the service was providing personal care to 76 people living in their own homes in the community.

There was a manager in post at the service who was appointed in April 2018 but was not yet registered with the Care Quality Commission. 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.

All of the people we spoke with told us the support they received from staff enabled them to feel safe and secure whilst living independently. Risk management plans had been completed in areas such as moving and handling, medication and the environment to help protect people from the risk of harm and guide staff on how to mitigate identified risks.

Systems were in place to support people with their prescribed medicines. People received their medication from staff who had received the appropriate training and this was documented accurately. Medication audits and observations were completed regularly to ensure staff were competent in this process.

Robust recruitment procedures were in place to ensure that staff appointed were suitable to work with vulnerable people. Staff had received training in safeguarding and knew how to recognise and report abuse to local partner agencies.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. The service operated within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People told us that staff always asked for their consent before delivering any care and support. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the need to ensure that people were involved in making decisions about their care. The manager provided evidence of their plans to further develop the documentation in respect of this.

People using the service were supported by staff and external health care professionals to maintain their health and wellbeing. Staff maintained effective communication and adopted a multi-disciplinary approach to meeting people’s needs. This included regular liaison with professionals such as social workers and occupational therapists.

Staff had the necessary skills and knowledge to provide care in an effective way and had a good understanding of the individual needs of the people using the service. Staff told us they felt well supported in their role and the training matrix showed they received regular training, supervisions and observations.

People told us that staff were ‘kind’, ‘considerate’ and ‘caring’ and spoke about the positive rapport they had developed with them. Comments included, “I would recommend them one million percent,