About the service:

Educare South Yorkshire 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 care to 30 people.

People's experience of using this service:

People were safe in their home and there were enough staff to fulfil the visits to people.

People received the medicines they needed safely.

Staff understood their responsibilities about keeping people safe.

Risks were identified and managed well. Incidents and accidents were monitored to inform practice and make improvements to the service.

Staff understood their responsibilities to prevent the spread of infection whilst working between people's homes.

Staff had received the training and support they needed to carry out their roles well. People had confidence in the staff and were happy with the care they received.

Care plan information focused on a person-centred method of supporting people. Information contained what support was required and care plans had been signed by people who received a service from Educare South Yorkshire.

Where appropriate, people received the support they needed to have a healthy diet.

People were supported to access health care services when they needed to. Staff described positive working relationships with health care professionals.

Staff supported people to remain independent and promoted their dignity. People's privacy was respected and their personal information was kept securely.

There was a clear management structure that supported staff well.

Governance arrangements were embedded within practice. Regular audits identified any shortfalls in provision of care.

More information is in the full report.

Rating at last inspection: Good (published 21 September 2016).

Why we inspected:

This was a scheduled inspection based on the previous ratings.

Follow up:

We will continue to monitor the service through the information we receive.

This inspection took place on 25 August 2016 and was announced. The provider was given short notice of the visit to the office in line with our current methodology for inspecting domiciliary care agencies. This was the first inspection of the service since their registration. Educare is a domiciliary care service. They are registered to provide personal care to people in their own homes.

The home 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.

There was a strong person centred and caring culture within the service. (Person centred means that care is tailored to meet the needs and aspirations of each person, as an individual.) The vision of the service was shared by the management team and staff.

We found there were enough staff with the right skills, knowledge and experience to meet people’s needs. The provider followed a robust recruitment procedure to ensure safe recruitment. Staff were provided with appropriate training, support and supervision to help them meet people’s needs.

We found the service to be meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). The staff we spoke with had a good understanding of the requirements.

There were systems in place to manage risks, safeguarding matters and medication and this ensured people’s safety. Although medication was not being administered to people who used the service at the time of our inspection staff were aware of the systems that were in pace to follow if this changed.

People who used the service were treated with kindness and received support in a considerate way, which was tailored to their needs and preferences.

People received care and support that was responsive to their needs. Care plans provided detailed information about people so staff knew exactly how they wished to be cared for in a personalised way.

Systems were in place which continuously assessed and monitored the quality of the service, including obtaining feedback from people who used the service and their relatives.