This inspection took place on 7 and 9 February 2017 and was announced. This was the first inspection of regulated activity carried on by the provider since it registered to deliver personal care in 2016. The provider had previously registered with CQC as Snowball Care and was rated as good at its inspection on 16 July 2014.

Snowball Care UK Limited is a domiciliary care provider people. At the time of the inspection the service was providing support to 84 people. People receiving support included older people and people with a learning disability.

The service had a registered manager at the time of the inspection. 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.

Staff were trained to keep people safe and report any suspicion of abuse. The likelihood of people experiencing avoidable harm was reduced because the manager assessed people’s risks and developed plans to mitigate them. There were sufficient numbers of vetted and safely recruited staff to deliver care and support as planned. Staff provided people with the support they required to take their medicines safely.

People received care and support from trained, skilled and knowledgeable staff. People received the support they required to eat and drink. Staff supported people to maintain their health and access healthcare professionals as their needs required.

People received care from staff who were caring. Staff supported people to make decisions and maintain their independence. People’s privacy was respected and their dignity was promoted. People received support from consistent staff enabling positive relationships to develop.

People had their needs assessed and reassessments were also carried out when people’s needs changed. People’s care was delivered at times they choose and the service provided bi-lingual staff to meet people’s cultural and communication needs. People shared their views with the provider about the care they received and complaints were dealt with appropriately.

The service had a registered manager who was a qualified social care professional. There was an open management style at the service. The provider undertook checks and audits to monitor service delivery and drive up improvements.