This inspection took place on 10 March 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider two days’ notice of our inspection. This was to make sure we could meet with the managers of the service and talk with staff on the day of our inspection visit.

Thornton Homecare is registered to provide personal care and support to people living in their own homes. There were twenty eight people using the service at the time of our inspection and twenty five staff were employed.

A requirement of the provider's registration is that they have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who had registered with the Care Quality Commission to manager the service. Like registered provider's 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 the time of our inspection there were two registered managers who were also the providers for the service.

The registered managers were supported by a care co-ordinator and an administrator to run the service. We refer to the registered managers as 'the managers' in the body of this report.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe using the service and care workers understood how to protect people from abuse and keep them safe. People told us they received care from familiar care workers who arrived at the expected time and completed the required tasks.

There were enough suitably trained care workers to deliver care and support to people. The managers checked the suitability of care workers to work with people who used the service during their recruitment. Care workers received an induction when they started working for the service and completed regular training to support them in meeting people's needs effectively.

Care workers were knowledgeable about people's needs. The information contained in people's care plans and risk assessments helped care workers to provide safe care in a way people preferred. People were involved in the planning and review of their care. There were processes to minimise risks associated with people's care. These included risk assessments and safe systems to manage people's medicines. Care workers had a good understanding of these processes.

The managers understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA). Care workers were trained to increase their knowledge and understand the MCA. Care workers recognised the importance of gaining people's consent before they provided care.

People told us care workers showed them kindness and had the correct skills and experience to provide the care and support they required. People received care from staff who were respectful and ensured people's privacy and dignity was maintained.

People knew how to complain and said that the managers listened to them. Care workers felt supported to do their work and people felt able to contact the managers at any time.

There were systems to monitor and review the quality of service and understand the experiences of people who used the service.