This inspection took place on 9 and 13 March 2017 and was announced. Upward Care Limited provides community support and personal care to people with physical and learning disabilities, mental health needs, and sensory impairments in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 57 people were receiving a regulated service. At the last inspection in October 2013, at a previously registered location, we found the provider was non-compliant in the area of quality and suitability of management, in relation to conducting reviews of people’s care and support. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was now meeting the regulations.

There was a registered manager in post however they were not available at the time of the inspection. However, there was an acting manager who took day to day responsibility for the management of the service and they were supported by the operations manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 told us they felt safe. Staff were aware of their responsibility to report any concerns about people’s safety and knew how to escalate any concerns to the relevant authorities. People were supported to manage their risks by staff who were aware of the need to protect people from avoidable harm. There were sufficient numbers of staff available to provide people with the care and support they needed. The provider carried out safe recruitment practice to ensure staff who supported people were safe to work with vulnerable adults. People received their medicines as prescribed and there were system in place to ensure medicines were managed and stored safely.

People were supported by staff who received training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s care and support needs. Staff told us training benefited their understanding and knowledge. People were asked for their consent before care was provided, and their capacity to make decisions had been assessed and recorded to enable staff to support them to make their own decisions where possible. People were happy with the food and drink they received and were supported to maintain a healthy diet. People received support to access relevant healthcare professionals where required which helped them maintain their health and wellbeing.

People received support from staff who were caring. People were supported to make their own decisions and these were respected. People were encouraged to maintain their independence and staff supported people in a way that respected their privacy and dignity.

People were involved in the planning and review of their care and support. Staff were aware of people’s individual care needs and supported them according to their personal preferences. Information about changes to people’s care was shared with staff to ensure people received up to date and relevant support. People and their relatives were aware of who they could contact if they were dissatisfied about the service they received. There was a system in place to manage complaints and where improvements had been identified; the provider had made changes to reduce the likelihood of events reoccurring.

People told us they were happy with the support they received. Staff expressed confidence in the management team and provider and told us they could share any issues or concerns. People, relatives and staff had been invited to share their views on the service, and the provider used these responses to drive improvements across the service. The acting manager and provider were aware of their responsibilities in relation to their roles and had notified us of incidents and events as required by law.