Shepshed Carers Limited provides personal care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection 170 people were using the service. At the last inspection on 12 August 2014, the service was rated good. At this inspection, we found the service remained good.

People continued to receive safe care. Staff knew their responsibilities to support people to remain safe including how to protect people from abuse. The provider had assessed risks relating to people’s care to help them to remain safe. The registered manager was recruiting more staff as there were vacancies. People continued to receive the care and support they required whilst this occurred. People received their medicines safely.

People continued to receive effective support. Staff received guidance and training to make sure they knew their responsibilities when supporting people. People were supported to maintain their health including monitoring what people ate and drank where there was a risk that they were not having enough.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service provided guidance in this practice. The registered manager told us they would take action to make sure that where there were concerns about people’s ability to make decisions, the required assessments would be completed.

People received care that was kind, respectful and consistently focused on things that mattered to them. People mainly had consistent care staff and calls were mostly on time. Most people had detailed care plans that were focused on them as individuals so staff had the guidance they required. The provider was rewriting other people’s care plans to make sure they contained detailed information about people’s preferences and routines that mattered to them. People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint and the provider took action when one was received.

The service continued to be well-led. The service had an open culture that welcomed feedback from people, their relatives and staff. Staff received good support and they knew the expectations required of them. The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities. They had arranged, and had further plans, for quality checks of the service to take place to make sure that it was of a high standard.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and to pilot a new inspection process being introduced by CQC which looks at the overall quality of the service.

The inspection was announced in line with our new inspection process.

Shepshed Carers Limited provides care and support to people living in their own homes. At the time of our inspection there were 280 people using the service.

At the time of our inspection a registered manager was in post.  A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service and has the legal responsibility for meeting the requirements of the law; as does the provider.

People we spoke with told us they were satisfied with the care and support provided. They had developed good relationships with their care workers and told us they were treated with kindness and respect and felt safe using the service.

Staff had a good understanding of the needs of people they cared for and were positive about their role and the organisation. Staff recruitment procedures were robust and ensured that appropriate checks were carried out before commencing work. Staff received a thorough induction and on-going training to ensure they had up to date knowledge and skills to provide the right support for people. They also received regular supervision and appraisals in line with the provider’s policy. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to ensure people’s needs were being met.

People’s needs were assessed and plans were in place to meet those needs. People’s wishes and preferences were taken into account and recorded in support plans although there was some inconsistency with the level of detail recorded. Risks to people’s health and well being were identified and plans were in place to manage those risks. People were supported to access healthcare professionals whenever they needed to.

There was a satisfactory complaints procedure in place and we saw that appropriate action had been taken in response to complaints. People who used the service knew how to contact the office should they require assistance and were comfortable to do so.

There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service. This included gathering the views and opinions of people who used the service and monitoring the quality of service provided.

We telephoned eleven people to gather their thoughts of the service being provided. Seven were receiving direct care from the service and four were relatives of people receiving care. We were also able to talk to ten support workers and seven members of the management team during our visit to the service.

People told us that they had been involved in deciding what care and support they needed and we found that appropriate assessments had taken place.

Care plans and risk assessments had been completed. These showed support workers the actions to be taken to meet each person’s individual needs and the actions to take, to minimise any possible risks to those in their care.

People told us that they felt safe with the support workers who supported them. They told us that they were treated with respect and they were satisfied with the care and support they received. One person told us: “They are all excellent and they treat me with respect every time they come.” Another explained: “They are marvellous, I would recommend them to anyone who needed care.”

A number of monitoring systems were in place including six monthly and yearly reviews. These were carried out with everyone using the service and enabled the management team to monitor and review the quality of service that people received.

As part of this follow up to the review of compliance carried out on 6 November 2012, we looked at the records for four people new to the service. This was to see whether improvements had been made to the services’ assessment and care planning process. We also talked to two members of staff during a visit to the service and two people who were using the service, were spoken with over the telephone. This enabled us to find out whether they were happy with the service being provided.

Records checked showed that appropriate processes were being followed to ensure that peoples’ needs were both identified and met, from the start of their care package commencing.

People spoken with confirmed that someone from the service had visited them at the start of their care package commencing and they were most satisfied with the care and support that they received. One person told us: “They came to see me and discussed what help I needed, the carer’s are lovely.” Another explained: “I am 101% happy with them; they are a lovely bunch of girls.”

We were told that the service involved people in deciding what care and support they needed. One person told us, “They came to check the night we came from hospital, to see what help we needed.” Another explained, “They ask you what help you need, you tell them and they do it.”

People told us that they were very satisfied with the care and support they received. One person explained,”They work well with each other, they are very kind.” Another told us, “They always check if there’s anything else to be done before they leave, they are wonderful.”

We were told that people felt safe with the care workers who supported them. One person told us, “They come and sit with him so that I can get out, I don’t worry, the same person comes and he is safe with them.” Another explained, “It’s nice to know that they will be here to help me.”

People told us that they were treated with respect and their care and support was provided in a dignified manner. One person explained, “They are excellent, couldn’t wish for better, they treat me very well.”

Support workers spoken with told us how much they enjoyed working for the service. One support worker told us, “I really enjoy it; Shepshed Carers try and keep to regular calls so that we can get to know them.” Another explained, “I love my job, it’s really rewarding, you feel like your giving something back.”

People told us that they were most satisfied with the care and support they received from Shepshed Carers. One person explained,” I wouldn’t have got on as well as I have without them”, another person told us, “they are marvellous, I couldn’t wish for better”.

We were told that people felt safe with the care workers who supported them. One person told us, “My husband is very safe in their care, they can’t do enough for him, whilst another person explained, “I can honestly say, they don’t take risks with him, they keep him safe”.

People told us that they were treated with respect and their care and support was provided in a dignified manner. One person explained, “they know what they are doing and they cover him up and make him decent”, whilst another person told us, “They’re a good lot, they treat me very well and they are always polite and friendly”.