What life is like for people using this service:

¿ People and relatives told us they felt safe.

¿ Staff had a good knowledge of how to keep people safe from harm although risk assessments weren’t always in place to provide them with written guidance.

¿ People were supported to take their medicines in a safe way.

¿ Staff were recruited safely and appropriate checks were carried out before they started work at the service.

¿ Although not all staff had received updated training, people felt staff knew what they were doing and were competent.

¿ Staff lacked a comprehensive understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and when it should be applied

¿ Where lessons were learned, feedback was provided to staff to ensure continuous improvement.

¿ Quality assurance processes required improvement to ensure sufficient oversight of the service.

¿ People received care and support based on their individual needs and preferences.

¿ People told us they felt well cared for by staff who treated them with respect and dignity.

¿ People felt encouraged to maintain their independence.

¿ Systems were in place for people to raise complaints and concerns.

¿ Staff liaised with other health care professionals to ensure t their health needs were met

¿ Staff and people spoke positively about the registered manager. They felt well supported and were confident any concerns would be acted on promptly.

Rating at last inspection: Good (03 March 2016)

About the service: Relatives Relief is a domiciliary care agency registered to provide personal care. Relatives Relief supports people within and around Clacton on Sea. At the time of our inspection, the service was supporting 43 people and employed 36 members of staff.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any information of concern, we may inspect sooner

The inspection was carried out on 03 and 15 March 2016. Relatives Relief is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care and domestic support to older people who live in their own homes. The service offers support to people living in Clacton-on-Sea and local surrounding areas. There were 43 people using the service at the time of our inspection.

The service has a registered manager, who was also the provider. 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.

The agency had suitable processes in place to safeguard people from different forms of abuse. There were systems in place which provided guidance for staff on how to safeguard the people who used the service from the potential risk of abuse. Staff understood the various types of abuse and knew who to report any concerns to.

There were procedures and processes in place to ensure the safety of the people who used the service. People were safe because staff understood their responsibilities in managing risk. Where people required assistance to take their medicines there were arrangements in place to provide this support safely.

The agency provided sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service. Staff were well supported to meet the needs of the people who used the service and had good relationships with people who used the service.

Staff received regular training relevant to their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs.

Where people required assistance with their dietary needs there were systems in place to provide this support safely. People were supported with meal planning, preparation and eating and drinking.

People or their representatives, where appropriate, were involved in making decisions about their care and support. Care plans provided guidance for staff, had been tailored to the individual and contained information about how they communicated and their ability to make decisions.

Where care workers had identified concerns in people’s wellbeing there were systems in place to contact health and social care professionals to make sure they received appropriate care and treatment.

Care workers understood their roles and responsibilities in providing safe and good quality care to the people who used the service.

A complaints procedure was in place. People’s concerns and complaints were listened to, addressed in a timely manner and used to improve the service.

The agency had processes in place to monitor the delivery of the service. The service had a quality assurance system and shortfalls were addressed. People’s views were also obtained through annual surveys. The service analysed these and checked how well people felt the agency was meeting their needs.

People who were using the service told us that they felt well treated and that they were satisfied with the support they received and with staff attitudes. People told us they had been involved in the assessment process and their care needs had been discussed with them. They had also been involved in the decision on how they wanted their support provided.

People said they knew how to complain but that they had not needed to make any complaints. People were confident that the service management listened and acted on peoples on-going views about how they wanted their care and support provided.

Comments we received from people included, "The staff are excellent and the manager is wonderful.” “The staff help me no end, they are very helpful and will ask us if we are satisfied with what they are doing for us.” “Staff have the right attitude, they keep the care plan up to date and their communication is good.” “The staff are good time keepers and they stay the full allocated time." “I am well satisfied with the service.”

We found that staff were supported, trained and supervised to help ensure that people who were using the service received safe and appropriate care and support. Staff we spoke with told us they thought they had been properly recruited and trained. They also told us that they received very good support in their roles.