About the service: TLC Homecare Services is a domiciliary care agency. At the time of the inspection it provided personal care and support to 34 people aged 65 and over.

People’s experience of using this service: People were supported safely and protected from harm. There were systems in place to reduce the risk of abuse and to assess and monitor potential risks to people.

Incidents and accidents were managed effectively. Risk assessments had been completed. They provided detailed guidance for staff to follow and were reviewed regularly.

Medicines were managed safely and people told us they received their medicines as prescribed. Health and safety checks were carried out to ensure people remained safe in their homes. Staff used personal protective equipment to prevent against cross infection.

There were enough staff to meet the needs of people who used the service. Recruitment checks were robust and new staff completed an induction and training programme.

People and their relatives had positive relationships with staff and told us they were caring. Staff treated people with respect and dignity. People were involved in decisions about their care and encouraged by staff to be as independent as possible.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Initial assessments were carried out to ensure people’s needs could be met and personalised care plans followed. Staff understood people’s preferences and people told us they were offered choices about their care. Regular reviews were carried out with people using the service to gather their views.

People were supported with their nutritional needs. People were supported to live a healthy life and staff supported people to access health care professionals when required.

A complaints system was in place and these were managed effectively. People and staff told us they felt confident to raise any concerns and felt these would be managed.

The provider had embedded quality assurance systems to monitor the quality and safety of the care provided. The provider worked in partnership with other services to support people’s care and quality of life.

The management team were open, honest and supportive. People told us the management team were approachable and staff said they felt supported.

Rating at last inspection: At the last inspection the service was rated Good (published 6 July 2016). The overall rating has remained good.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating of good.

Follow up: Going forward we will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.

More information is in the full report below. For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

We inspected this service on 8 June 2016. This was an announced inspection and we telephoned 48 hours’ prior to our inspection in order to meet with people who use the service. This was the first inspection of this service.

TLC Homecare Services provides domiciliary care for people who live in their own home in Uttoxeter and the surrounding area. At the time of our inspection, 14 people were receiving personal care support from the provider.

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. The provider of the service is made up of a partnership. The partners jointly manage the service and are both registered with us as registered managers. We refer to the managers as the ‘provider’ in the main body of the report.

People we spoke with told us they felt safe and were comfortable having staff come into their home. Staff recognised their responsibilities to protect people from abuse and were confident the provider would take action if they raised any concerns. Risks to people were assessed and managed to keep people safe whilst promoting their independence. People received their medicine as prescribed and were supported to apply any creams they needed.

People’s needs and preferences were met when they were supported with meals and the provider ensured people accessed the support of other health professionals when their needs changed.

There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and checks were made to confirm staff were suitable to work with people in their own homes. The support was flexible and responsive to changes in people’s needs. Staff received an induction and training to gain the skills and knowledge to support people. Staff felt valued and supported by the management team.

People received personalised care from staff that knew them well. People valued their relationships with the staff team and felt they often ‘go the extra mile for them’ when providing care and support. Staff gained people’s consent before supporting them and understood their responsibilities to support people to make their own decisions. Staff treated people in a caring way, respected their privacy and dignity promoted their independence.

People felt comfortable raising any concerns and were confident they would be taken seriously. People were asked for their opinions on the service informally and the provider was developing formalised systems to drive continuous improvement. Staff felt supported and valued by the provider and were involved in the development of the service. The provider had systems in place to continuously monitor the safety and quality of the service.