We inspected Supreme Homecare on 6 November 2018. The inspection was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. Our last inspection took place on the 24 October 2016 and we found one breach of regulation in relation to person-centred care. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the service was no longer in breach.

Supreme Homecare 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 the inspection it was providing a service to 40 people.

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 received care which protected them from avoidable harm and abuse. Staff understood people's needs and knew how to protect them from the risk of abuse. Risks to people's safety were identified and assessments were in place to manage identified risks. Where people required support to take prescribed medicines, staff had received training to assist people safely.

There were enough skilled and experienced staff to meet the needs of people who used the service. People were supported by staff who had the skills and training to meet their needs. Recruitment checks were completed on new staff to ensure they were suitable to support people who used the service. Where required, people were supported to have sufficient to eat and drink, and their health needs were regularly monitored.

Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. People were involved in making every day decisions and choices about how they wanted to live their lives.

People were supported by a team of regular staff that they knew and who they said were kind and caring. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and promoted their independence. People and their relatives said the support they received helped people who used the service live independently in their own homes.

The service was responsive to people's needs and wishes. People and their relatives told us the punctuality of the care staff had improved. People were provided with care and support which was individual to them. Care plans were detailed and personalised. People's care and support needs were reviewed regularly. The service had end of life policies and procedures in place.

People’s cultural and religious needs were respected when planning and delivering care. Discussions with staff members showed that they respected people’s sexual orientation so that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people could feel accepted and welcomed in the service.

Staff told us the registered manager was supportive. People liked the registered manager and found her helpful. The service had various quality assurance and monitoring mechanisms in place.

We inspected Supreme Homecare on 24 October 2016. This was an announced inspection. We informed the provider 48 hours in advance of our visit that we would be inspecting. This was to ensure there was somebody at the location to facilitate our inspection. Supreme Homecare provides care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of our inspection, the service was providing care for approximately 65 people, with 30 of these people receiving personal care.

There was a registered manager at the service 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

During our inspection we found that care staff were consistently late to visits and people using the service and their relatives had complained.

Systems were in place to ensure that people using the service were safe. Care staff had undertaken training about safeguarding adults and had a good understanding about safeguarding principles and how to raise an alert.

Risk assessments were carried out and were detailed. Risk assessments were updated in line with people’s changing needs.

Medicines were managed safely for people. Effective systems for the management, administration and storage of medicines were in place.

Care staff were aware of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and how to ensure people using the service were given support to make decisions.

Care staff received relevant training to their role as well as an induction programme and we saw records of robust recruitment. Relevant checks had been carried out before staff commenced employment.

Staff received appraisals, training, and supervision to support them in their role. The registered manager supported staff so that they were effective in their role to care for people and deliver quality care.

People had access to health care services to meet their needs. Referrals were made to health professionals when needed and visits to and from health professionals were recorded.

Care plans were detailed and person centred and people were involved in their care planning and decision making. Staff knew people well and understood their likes and dislikes. Staff were aware of people’s communication needs and adapted their communication methods accordingly.

Care staff provided care and support to people in a way which respected their dignity and privacy and people using the service told us about ways in which this was upheld.

The registered manager for the service had a good relationship with staff and the people using the service and their relatives. There was open communications between all parties.

The service had quality assurance methods in place.

We found one breach of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we asked the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.