The inspection of Spring Care PAs Battle Limited took place on 29 and 30 November 2016 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice because they were sometimes out of the office supporting staff or visiting people who use the service. We needed to be sure that they would be in. The inspection involved a visit to the agency’s office and telephone conversations with people who used the service and healthcare professionals.

Spring Care PAs is a domiciliary care agency based in Battle which is registered to provide personal care. The service provides care and support for adults living in their own homes at key times of the day and includes support for people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and dementia. At the time of the inspection there were 55 people using the service.

The service had 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.

People told us they felt safe receiving the care and support provided by staff. Staff understood and could recognise the signs of potential abuse and knew what to do if they needed to raise a safeguarding concern. Training schedules confirmed staff had received training in safeguarding adults at risk.

Robust recruitment and selection procedures were in place and appropriate checks had been made before staff began work at the service. There were enough staff to protect people’s health, safety and welfare.

People said staff were caring and kind and their individual needs were met. One person told us, “The carers are kind and exceptionally good.” Another person said, “The carers are absolutely lovely.” Staff knew people well and had a good understanding of their needs and choices.

Care plans and risk assessments reflected people’s level of care needs. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. One person told us, “I am involved in making changes to my care plan. It’s an open book. If we need to change things we do it.”

Staff felt supported managers and understood what was expected of them. They were encouraged to report concerns and provide feedback that the registered manager could then use to improve the quality of care people experienced. A member of staff told us, “Management are supportive and approachable and staff in the office sort out any issues if I have any.”

There was a complaints policy and information regarding the complaints procedure was available. Complaints were listened to and investigated in a timely manner and used to improve the service.

Regular audits were in place to measure and monitor the quality of care and service provided. The manager monitored people’s support and took action to ensure that improvements were made and recorded.

People and staff surveys were positive about Spring Care PAs. One person commented, “I have no grumbles about the care. Staff do their job well.” A member of staff told us, “I love my job. It doesn’t seem like work. It feels like I am just doing things to help people in my community.”

A single adult social care inspector carried out this inspection. The focus of the inspection was to answer five key questions; is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?

Below is a summary of what we found. The summary describes what people using the service and staff members told us, what we observed and the records we looked at.

If you want to see the evidence that supports our summary please read the full report.

Is the service safe?

People received appropriate care that met their needs based on a thorough assessment. The provider carried out thorough risk assessments in people's homes which meant that people were cared for in an environment that identified and minimised risk.

Staff had received appropriate training to quickly recognise and respond to emergency situations and could provide care and treatment which promoted people's safety and welfare.

The provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening as staff members had a good awareness of safeguarding issues. Staff had attended relevant safeguarding training and were aware of how to access support when needed.

People using the service were being cared for safely by suitably skilled staff who were competent to carry out their role. Staff members followed a thorough induction and ongoing training process which promoted the safe delivery of care within the service.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). While no applications have needed to be submitted, proper policies and procedures were in place. The manager was aware of DoLS and had received relevant training. Support staff had not attended specific DoLS training. The manager told us that they recognised this was an important requirement and were hoping to arrange training for staff in the near future.

Is the service effective?

It was clear that staff knew people well and understood their care and support needs from the written feedback we looked at and the people we spoke to with who used the service. Staff had received relevant training to meet the needs of people in their care.

Positive written feedback from people using the service demonstrated that the service was effective.

Is the service caring?

People’s needs were assessed and care was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. People we spoke with were satisfied with the care and support that they received from the service. One person told us, “Staff go out of their way. We are impressed. They are flexible and accommodating”.

One person told us that their needs were discussed along with their daughter which supported them in making decisions about their care.

Before people received any care or support they were asked for their consent.

Is the service responsive?

The care records that we looked at during our inspection confirmed that people’s preferences and wishes had been identified and recorded.

People’s care plans were re-assessed regularly and specific changes were put into place where necessary. People confirmed to us that when they required changes to be made to their care needs, these were put into place accordingly.

The provider had a complaints procedure in place and had an awareness of their responsibilities for recording and dealing with complaints.

Is the service well-led?

The provider had robust quality assurance processes in place. Staff were supported with regular team meetings and we saw evidence of staff receiving supervisions.

A member of staff told that they felt supported in their role and the manager was approachable. We observed that the manager was knowledgeable of staff members’ training and development needs.