The inspection was announced and took place on the 10 & 18 November 2016. The service had not previously been inspected.

Senior Care Services Ltd provides personal care and support to people living in their own home, in and around the Liverpool area. At the time of the inspection there were 40 people receiving a regulated activity from the registered provider.

There was a registered manager in post within the service who had been registered with the CQC since August 2016. 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.

People were protected from the risk of abuse. Staff had completed training in safeguarding vulnerable people and knew how to report any concerns they may have. The registered provider had a safeguarding policy in place which staff were familiar with.

Risk assessments were in place to ensure that people were protected from harm. These outlined the risks presented by people’s needs and provided information for staff on what they should do to maintain people’s wellbeing. There had been no accidents and incidents over the past 12 months; however, the registered manager told us that they would respond appropriately to these and act to prevent them reoccurring again in the future.

People told us they had received their medicines as prescribed. Staff had received training in the safe administration of medicines and medication administration records (MARs) were being signed to show that these had been given as required. This helped ensure people’s health and wellbeing was maintained.

People’s rights and liberties were protected. Staff had completed training in the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). People confirmed that staff offered them choice and control over their care, and commented that they promoted their independence.

People were protected from the risk of malnutrition. Care records contained relevant information about people’s dietary requirements. Staff demonstrated a good awareness of people needs in relation to their diet and people confirmed that staff provided them with the correct level of support.

Staff treated people with kindness and worked to ensure that their dignity and respect was maintained. People told us that they had developed positive relationships with staff, commenting that they consistently received support from the same staff. People told us that they were able to have a laugh with staff and enjoyed their company.

People’s care records provided up-to-date, accurate and relevant information about their care needs. These were personalised and provided staff with the information they needed to ensure they provided the correct level of support to people. People confirmed that staff had a good understanding of their needs and provided the support they needed.

The registered provider had a complaints process in place which people were aware of. People told us that they would feel comfortable raising their concerns with the registered manager. At the time of the inspection the registered provider had not received any complaints. The registered provider had received a number of compliments, and a recent survey showed that people were happy with the service.

The registered provider had good links with the local community. They had delivered training about dementia to other adult social care services and GP practices in the local area. They had also taken part in setting up a ‘dementia café’ at the local church which aimed to support people living with dementia and their relatives.

The registered provider is required by law to notify us of specific events which occur within the service. Our records showed that this had been done appropriately. This meant that the registered provider was acting in accordance