Respectful Care Ltd was inspected on 7 October 2016. The inspection was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our inspection. This was to make sure we could meet with the manager of the service and care workers on the day of our inspection.

Respectful Care Ltd is a domiciliary care agency which is registered to provide personal care support to people in their own homes. At the time of our visit the agency supported approximately 32 people with their personal care and employed 27 care workers.

The service was last inspected on 4 June 2013, when we found the provider was compliant with the essential standards described in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010.

The service had a registered manager. A requirement of the provider’s registration is that they have a registered manager. 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.

There were enough care workers to meet people’s needs effectively. People received their care and support from care workers who they knew, and at the times agreed. The provider conducted pre-employment checks prior to staff starting work, to ensure their suitability to support people in their homes.

People and relatives told us they felt safe using the service and care workers understood how to protect people from abuse. Risks to people’s safety were identified and care workers understood how these should be managed.

Care workers completed training considered essential to meet people’s needs safely and effectively. Care workers completed an induction when they joined the service and had their practice regularly checked by a member of the management team.

The registered manager understood their responsibility to comply with the relevant requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People made their own decisions about their care and support. Care workers gained people’s consent before they provided personal care and respected people’s decisions.

People’s privacy and dignity was respected by care workers. Where possible, care workers encouraged people to be independent. People told us care workers had a caring attitude and had the right skills and experience to provide the care and support required.

People saw health professionals when needed and systems were in place to manage people’s medicines safely. Staff had received training to do this. Support was given to people who required help with eating and drinking.

People and relatives were involved in planning and reviewing their care. Care records gave care workers the information needed to ensure care and support was provided in the way people preferred. Care workers followed this information.

People and relatives told us they knew how to raise any concerns and felt these would be listened and responded to effectively. Staff told us the registered was supportive and they felt valued. There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the support provided, and the provider regularly sought feedback from people and their relatives. The provider used this feedback to make some improvements to the service where needed.

During our inspection we spoke with the registered manager and the responsible individual.

We were told that Respectful Care Ltd was registered in December 2012 and started providing support to one individual. The service was in the process of assessing other people's needs to provide a support service.

We were told that the registered manager was providing direct care to the one person using the service. We were told that the service was in the process of recruiting two care assistants.

After the inspection we contacted the person who used the service, their relatives and an associated social care professional.

People we spoke with told us that they were happy with the standard of care provided and were involved in giving feedback to the service.

One person told us: "I am happy with the care I get. They help me with everything I need".

We spoke with a relative who told us: "I can't fault them. I would recommend them to anyone".

We were told and saw there was an appropriate training system in place to enable new staff to undertake their work competently and to keep people safe.

We found that appropriate recruitment and selection procedures had been undertaken by the service.

We saw that the provider had an effective system for auditing the quality of care standards they provided.

We found that Respectful Care Ltd was compliant in the five outcome areas we inspected.