The inspection took place on 14 November 2017. The inspection was announced. The provider was given two working days’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be available at the locations office to see us. This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to older adults. There were eight people using the service who were receiving personal care at the time of the inspection. Surrey Hills are a domiciliary care agency based in Edenbridge who are registered to provide personal care to people living with dementia, older people, learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, mental health, people with an eating disorder, physical disability, sensory impairment and younger adults. Surrey Hills Home Help Services Limited will be referred to in this report as Surrey Hills. Surrey Hills was registered with CQC in November 2016 and had not been inspected prior to this inspection.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager at 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.

People were kept safe from abuse and harm and staff knew how to report concerns about abuse. Risks were minimised through the use of effective control measures to keep people safe whilst promoting their independence. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs and ensure their safety. People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and had their competence checked. Staff understood the best practice procedures for reducing the risk of infection and carried a bag of protective equipment such as hand gel and shoe protectors on every care call. The service used incidents, accidents and near misses to learn from mistakes and drive improvements.

People had effective assessments of their needs prior to a service being offered. This meant that care outcomes were planned and staff understood what support each person required. Staff were trained in key areas and had the skills and knowledge to carry out their roles. People were supported to receive enough to eat and drink; staff used food and fluid charts to record intake for people at risk or malnourishment or dehydration.

The service worked in collaboration with other professionals such as district nursing and people’s GP’s to ensure care was effectively delivered. People maintained good health and had access to health and social care professionals. Environments were risk assessed to ensure people were safe in their homes and staff could work without the risk of danger. The principles of the Mental Capacity Act were being complied with and any restrictions were assessed to ensure they were lawful and the least restrictive option.

Staff treated people with kindness and compassion in their day to day care. Staff knew people’s needs well and people told us they valued and liked their care staff. People and their relatives were consulted around their care and support and their views were acted upon. People’s dignity and privacy was respected and upheld and staff encouraged people to be as independent as safely possible.

People received a person centred service that was supportive of their needs. People’s needs were fully assessed and care plans ensured that personal details were carried through to care delivery. There was a complaints policy and form, though no complaints had yet been received. Staff were open to any complaints and understood that responding to people’s concerns was a part of good care. End of life care had been planned for people who wished to