Support Care Services was first registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in July 2017. This is the first inspection of the service since registration. This inspection took place on 31 July 2018.

Support Care Services is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. At the time of our inspection four people were using the service. CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’, that is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.

The service had a registered manager in post. 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.

At this inspection we identified issues which indicated that the registered manager’s current knowledge and understanding for meeting these requirements was inconsistent. Staff did not receive all the training they needed, at the appropriate time, to help them meet people’s needs effectively. However, they were provided regular opportunities by the registered manager to reflect on their work practice and identify how they could improve in their role.

We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 and found staff had not received relevant training about their responsibilities in relation to the Act. All the people using the service at the time of this inspection could make and consent to decisions about their care and support. However, there was a risk staff may act unlawfully if a person became unable to make an informed decision or consent to their care and support.

The provider carried out checks of staff’s suitability and fitness to support people as part of their recruitment arrangements. However, they did not routinely check the authenticity of references provided in support of staff’s applications which meant they did not have all the assurances they needed about staff’s suitability to support people. The registered manager said they would be taking immediate action after this inspection to rectify the issues we found.

In relation to other aspects of their role, the registered manager demonstrated good awareness of their registration responsibilities particularly with regards to submission of statutory notifications about key events that occurred at the service. People spoke positively about the registered manager and said they were approachable and available when needed.

People were safe when being supported by staff. Staff were supported to take appropriate action to ensure people were protected if they suspected they were at risk of abuse. Staff had access to current information and guidance on how to minimise identified risks to people due to their specific needs. This helped to keep people safe from injury or harm.

There were enough staff to meet people’s needs. People experienced continuity and consistency in the support they received from staff. Staff followed good practice to ensure risks to people were minimised from poor hygiene and cleanliness when providing personal care and when preparing and handling food.

Staff supported people to take their prescribed medicines and to eat and drink sufficient amounts to meet their needs. Records maintained by staff after each scheduled visit were limited and did not always help to keep others well informed and up to date about people’s current health and wellbeing. However, when staff had a concern about this they took prompt action so that appropriate support could be sought for the person. The registered manager was working with staff at the time of this inspection to improve the quality of the records