About the service: Respectful Care is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats. It currently provides a service to older adults. At the time of the inspection, 81 people were receiving support with personal care.

People’s experience of using this service:

• People received high quality, person-centred care and support that put their interests, preferences and wishes above all else. Staff often went above and beyond what was required of them, providing people with high quality compassionate and empathetic care. Innovative methods were used to empower people to make decisions about their care. Staff did not see barriers to high quality care, just challenges to overcome and this resulted in exceptional outcomes for people. Independence was widely encouraged, advocates used where needed, and people told us they were always treated with dignity and respect.

• The risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and used to reduce the risks. People told us they felt safe when staff supported them. Staff understood how to report any concerns that could lead to people experiencing avoidable harm. Staff arrived on time for calls. People had raised concerns with the registered manager about the consistency of the carers who supported them. Action was taken to address this. People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff understood how to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. The registered manager had the processes in place to learn from mistakes and to reduce risk.

• Staff received a comprehensive induction and training programme. Their competency to carry out their role was regularly assessed. People were provided with care which protected them from discrimination. People received the support they needed with their meals and they had access to other health and social care agencies where needed. People were supported to make decisions about their care, the provider ensured these were made in accordance with appropriate legislation.

• The care people received was person-centred and always considered their personal choices and preferences. People had access to information in a format they could understand. Complaints were handled appropriately and line with the provider’s complaints policy. People did not currently receive end of life care; however, staff training was about to commence to ensue staff had the skills to meet people’s needs.

• The service was well-led by a dedicated, enthusiastic registered manager. People, relatives and staff respected the registered manager. Staff enjoyed working at the service and felt respected and valued. The service played an active role in their local community. People could give their views about how the service could develop and improve. People and relatives told us they would recommend this service to others.

Rating at last inspection:

At the last inspection the service was rated as Good (12 and 16 May 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a planned inspection.

Follow up:

We will continue to review information we receive about the service until the next scheduled inspection. If we receive any information of concern we may inspect sooner than scheduled.

We carried out an unannounced inspection of the service on 12 May 2016.

Respectful Care is required by the Care Quality Commission to 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. A registered manager was in post at the time of our inspection.

Respectful Care is a domiciliary care agency that provides personal care to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, the service was supporting 100 people.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe. People were supported by staff who were trained to recognise the signs of abuse and knew what actions to take to protect people and keep them safe. Any risks were recognized, and managed through the use of risk plans. The risk plans told staff the best ways to try and keep people safe.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs, and people received support from the same staff members. The provider had carried out relevant checks to make sure staff were recruited safely.

People who needed support to take their medicines were assisted by staff that had been trained to administer medication in a safe manner.

Staff received appropriate induction, training, appraisals and supervision. Caring and positive relationships had developed between people who used the service staff and staff.

People were involved in the their care planning and reviews and in making decisions about what care they wanted. People were treated with respect and dignity by staff who showed an understanding of the importance of this.

People received the care they needed and staff understood the different support each person needed. Care records gave sufficient information to enable staff to provide personalised care. People felt able to make a complaint if they needed to and understood how to do so.

Staff told us they would be confident raising any concerns with the management and that the registered manager would take action. There were systems in place to improve and monitor quality of the service provided.