This was an unannounced inspection which took place on 11 April 2017.

St Christopher’s Home care Limited is a domiciliary care agency which is registered to provide personal care to people who live in their own homes. They were offering a service to six older people on the day of the visit.

At the last inspection the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good:

There is a registered manager running the service. 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.

The service was safe, improvements had been made since the last inspection. The service made sure, that as far as possible, staff were recruited safely and were suitable to work with the people. All gaps in work history were explored and recorded. Staff understood how to protect people and followed the relevant procedures to keep people as safe as they could. General risks and risks to individuals were identified and action was taken to reduce them. People were supported to take their medicines safely, at the right times and in the right amounts by trained and competent staff.

The service remained effective. People’s health and well-being needs were met by staff who were well trained and responded to people’s current and changing needs. The service sought advice from and worked with health and other professionals to ensure they met people’s health and well-being needs. 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 supported this practice.

The service continued to be caring and was outstandingly responsive. The staff team were committed and provided exceptionally flexible care with kindness and respect. Care staff were knowledgeable and highly responsive to the needs of individuals. Highly individualised care planning ensured people’s equality and diversity was respected.

The registered manager worked with the small staff team and people and staff told us she was accessible and approachable. The quality of care the service provided was assessed and reviewed regularly and improved, as necessary.

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. This was an announced inspection.

St Christopher's Home Care Limited provides personal care to people in their homes. The support hours provided varied depending on the person’s needs. At the time of our inspection, 11 people were using the service.

A registered manager was employed by this service. 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.

We looked at the provider’s recruitment processes. It is the legal requirement for providers to obtain full employment history together with a satisfactory written explanation of any gaps in employment. Employment history and gaps were not fully explored or clearly recorded.

The focus of this service was to help people live fulfilling lives and be independent as much as they could. Staff had detailed knowledge of people’s needs and preferences that contributed to the quality of the care and support provided to people. Each person was supported in the way they preferred and staff respected that. People and relatives spoke positively about the service they have received and praised the staff.

People were encouraged to take part in the planning of their care and to actively feedback on the support they received. People felt able to be open and honest with staff and the management team because good relationships have been built between them. Risks were managed in a way that balanced people’s right to make choices with their right to be safe and independent. Staff and the management team supported and encouraged people to achieve their goals and enjoy life. They also understood and followed legal requirements regarding making choices and decisions, and making sure people’s rights and liberties were protected.

The registered manager was knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).  This legislation provides a legal framework that sets out how to act to support people who do not have capacity to make a specific decision. Staff had been trained to understand their responsibilities. The provider had taken appropriate action with the local authority to review and ensure if anyone was being restricted of their rights and liberties. At the time of our visit no one was deprived of their liberty and no applications were made. Staff were following the principles of MCA when supporting people who lacked capacity to make a decision.

People and their relatives were complimentary about the service they received. People were treated with kindness and respect and we observed that. Staff told us they would challenge poor practice if it occurred and were confident it would be addressed by the registered manager. Staff received appropriate training and support that helped them understand and provide good quality support. They were confident and passionate about helping people to achieve their aims in life.

The registered manager had quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. This was also linked to a learning culture where staff and people were encouraged to comment on the running of the service. Any feedback received, incidents and accidents were used for learning the lessons and prevent this from happening in the future. Staff told us the registered manager was supportive and approachable. They were confident any issues would be addressed promptly.

At the time of this inspection there was one person using this service. This person had difficulties in communicating when using the telephone. Therefore we spoke with one of their relatives who was involved in the planning and reviews of their care. We spoke with the registered manager and a care manager, who also a care worker.

The relative we spoke with said the care provided met the needs of the person who uses the service. They said care staff responded very well to the person’s needs when delivering care and staff were "willing to help and assist." According to the care manager people's independence was promoted by considering their wishes and personal preferences in the delivery of their care. The relative we spoke with said staff were "exceptionally good" at working with people.

The registered manager and care manager had a clear understanding of safeguarding and their internal procedures for reporting and investigating safeguarding concerns. The care manager was confident in how concerns regarding the service should be reported.

We saw records of induction, training, supervision and appraisal in a staff member's personnel file. This staff member said they had regular supervision meetings and they felt supported to undertake their role.

Care planning involved people who use the service and their relatives. This was confirmed by a relative we spoke with and a care plan we looked at. The care plan was fit for purpose and up to date.