This inspection took place on 1 October 2018 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice of our visit because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to make sure that there would be someone at the office at the time of our visit. On 2, 3 and 4 October 2018 we made telephone calls to people using the service, relatives and staff for their views on the service. This was the first inspection since the provider's registration on 9 November 2017. At this inspection, we found the fundamental care standards were not being fully met, resulting in a rating of ‘Requires Improvement.’

Up 24 Seven Services Ltd is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. The service caters for older people and younger adults with needs relating to dementia, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and sensory impairment. There were 21 people using this service at the time of our inspection.

The service had a registered manager, they were also the service provider. 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.’

We found that safeguarding concerns were not always being reported to the local authority safeguarding team, as the registered manager was not fully clear which circumstances required referral’s. This did not ensure people were protected from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm.

Recruitment procedures were not always thorough to ensure prospective staff were suitable to care for people receiving personal care in their own homes.

People told us they felt safe with the care provided by staff. Staff we spoke with understood their responsibility in protecting people from the risk of harm. Staff told us they had received training and an induction that had helped them to understand and support people.

Staffing levels were adequate to meet people’s needs who were currently receiving support from the agency. People received support from a consistent staff team.

Staff had received training in infection control and were provided with the necessary personal protective equipment to use when carrying out care and support tasks

Staff supported people to make decisions about their day to day care and support.

When needed, people were supported to maintain their dietary requirements. Staff we spoke with were aware of who to contact in an event of an emergency.

People told us that staff treated them in a caring way and respected their privacy and supported them to maintain their dignity. The delivery of care was tailored to meet people's individual needs and preferences.

The provider’s complaints policy and procedure were accessible to people who used the service and their representatives. People knew how to make a complaint and felt the provider took action to address their concerns.

There were systems in place to monitor the quality of the service to enable the registered manager to drive improvement.

During this inspection we found breaches of the of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.