Potsford Care Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. It provides a service to adults. At the time of this announced inspection of 17 September 2018 there were three people who used the personal care service. The inspection was on a Monday and we announced the inspection on the Friday before. We gave the service notice of the inspection to make sure that someone was available to see us. The service is run from an office at Potsford Farm, which also provides a day service for people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. Potsford Farm is a working farm and people have the opportunity to participate in the running of the farm. This includes the care of the animals on site.

This service was registered in May 2016 and started to provide care and support to people using the personal care service in June 2017, this was their first inspection.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 a safe service. Risks to people were managed well, including risks from abuse and in their daily lives. There were enough care workers to ensure that all planned visits for people were completed. Care workers were recruited safely. The service did not provide people with their medicines, other than the application of creams, which was done safely. However, there were systems in place, should this service be required. The service learned from incidents to make improvements. There were infection control procedures in place to reduce the risks of cross infection.

People received an effective service. People were asked for their consent before any care was provided and their choices were documented. The service’s staff understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). Where people required assistance with their dietary needs, this was provided. People were supported to have access to health professionals where needed. The service worked with other organisations involved in people’s care to provide a consistent service.

People received a caring service. People had positive relationships with their care workers. People’s dignity, privacy and independence were respected and promoted. People’s views were listened to and valued.

People were provided with a responsive service. People received care and support which was assessed, planned and delivered to meet their individual needs. A complaints procedure was in place and people’s concerns were addressed.

People received a service which was well-led. There were systems in place to monitor and assess the service provided. This supported the management team to independently identify and address any shortfalls. There was an open culture in the service and the views of people using the service and care workers were valued and used to drive improvement. As a result, the service continued to improve.