The inspection took place on 26 October 2016 with the provider being given short notice of the visit to the office in line with our current methodology for inspecting domiciliary care agencies. This was the first comprehensive inspection of the service under the current registration.

Sun Health Care Domiciliary Care Services provides personal care and support to people from the age of 18 years old, who have a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder and/or mental health needs. Support packages are flexible and based on individual people’s needs.

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At the time of our inspection there were 45 people using the service. We spoke on the telephone with three people who used the service and three relatives. We also briefly met two people who used the service when we visited the agency’s office. When we asked people about their experiences of using the agency they told us they were entirely happy with the service provided.

Systems were in place to keep people safe while maintaining their independence, People told us staff provided a safe environment for people using the service to live in, and supported them to access the community safely.

People’s needs had been assessed before their care package commenced and where possible they, and the relatives, had been involved in formulating their support plans. Care records sampled identified people’s needs and preferences, as well as any risks associated with their care and the environment they lived in. However some support plans were more individualised than others.

We found people received a service that was based on their personal needs and wishes. Changes in their needs had been identified and their care package amended to meet any changing circumstances. People were encouraged to manage their own medication if they were able to, but when needed appropriate levels of support were provided to enable them to take their medication safely.

Overall the system for recruiting new staff helped to ensure staff were employed with all of the required employment checks. There was sufficient trained and experienced staff employed to ensure people received their care consistently. People told us that the majority of the time they received support from the same care team, which gave people consistency.

People had been enabled to raise any concerns. We saw information about how to raise a concern and how it would be addressed was provided to each person who used the service and available to relatives and staff. This was also available in a pictorial [easy to read and understand] format. Relatives we spoke with told us they were confident that any concerns they raised would be dealt with swiftly.

The registered manager had a clear oversight of the service, and of the people who were using it. People were encouraged to share their views about the quality of the care provided, to help drive up standards and influence change. Quality assurance systems had been developed to monitor how the service operated and identify areas for improvement. This also gave the service an opportunity to learn from events and improve the service for people.