This inspection took place on 7 September 2016 and was announced.

The agency provides personal care for people in their own home. There were 55 people using the service when we inspected.

There was a registered manager in post who was not available during this inspection. 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 told us they felt safe when staff came into their home and felt protected from the risk of potential abuse. People risks during personal care had been identified and plans showed the steps staff needed to take to manage them. People had their calls at a time that reflected their preferences and the required number of staff attended. People who had support with their medicines had them administered when needed, with staff who were competent to do so.

Staff had received training to ensure their skills and knowledge reflected the needs of the people they cared for. Staff were supported with regular supervisions and the management team checked that staff were working as expected. Where people needed support with their meals they told us they were happy that staff gave them a choice or provided the assistance needed to enjoy their meal.

People were involved in making decisions about their care and plans were in place detailing how they wished to be supported. People’s consent was obtained by staff when caring for them. People told us they arranged their own healthcare appointments as required, however staff would help with telephone calls and reminders if needed.

People knew the staff and were comfortable with staff providing a personalised service in their home. Staff spent time chatting with people while providing care. People felt the care they had received met their needs and had been able to tell staff how they wanted their care. People felt the staff were considerate and supported them in maintaining their dignity.

People’s views and decisions they had made when planning or making changes to their care were listened to and recorded in care plans. People knew how to make a complaint and felt comfortable to do this should they need to and felt these would be dealt with. Information was provided to people who used the service should they wish to raise a complaint.

People, their family members and staff felt the management team were accessible and could speak with them to provide feedback about the service. The management team had kept their knowledge up to date and they led by example. The provider ensured regular checks were completed to monitor the quality of the care that people received and to action where improvements were needed.

We spoke with six people who used the service or their relatives. People praised the carers. They told us, “The office staff are all very helpful”. “They are all lovely”. “If it wasn’t for the carers my relative would not be able to remain at home, they are all wonderful”.

We spoke with three care workers, the manager and owner. Care workers spoke positively of the service, they told us they were supported and enjoyed their work.

We found that people who used the service were protected from the risk of abuse. This was because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify potential abuse and acted appropriately.

The provider sought people's views periodically and completed assessments of risks to assess and monitor the quality of service provision.

We spoke with three people who used the service and two relatives. People were very pleased with the care received. They told us they found the service professional and reliable. One person told us, “they do everything in their power to make it work for each person, they are absolutely amazing”. People told us their care workers were respectful and caring towards them.

People told us they felt fully involved with the assessment of their needs and planning for their care. They considered care workers had a good understanding of individuals’ needs and preferences. Staff were able to share examples of how they respected people's privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

People said they felt safe in the presence of their care workers. One person commented, “I trust them implicitly”. Staff had received training on protecting the people they supported. They were able to describe abuse and knew how to respond to protect people.

There was a process in place to ensure that appropriate checks were done before staff began work in people’s own homes. Staff told us they enjoyed their work and said they were well supported.

The agency ensured that people's views were considered and listened to. People had been provided with information of how to use the complaint process. They said staff were very approachable and understanding.