This inspection took place on 16 May, 18 May and 2 June 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider 48 hours' notice of our visit because the location provides domiciliary care and we needed to make sure there would be someone in the office at the time of our visit. This was our first visit since the location had been registered in September 2015.

Walsall Domiciliary Care is registered with the Care Quality Commission to provide personal care to people who wish to remain independent in their own homes. The service also provides a call alarm answering facility to some people. The agency provides services throughout Walsall and provides care for people with healthcare and social care needs. At the time of our inspection there were 111 people using the service.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

Appropriate measures were in place to keep people safe. Risks to people were assessed and staff knew how to reduce risks to people. Assessments of risk had been completed and staff had clear guidance on how to support people safely. Staff knew how to identify and correctly report suspected abuse.

The provider employed safe recruitment practices to make sure staff were suitable people to provide care. People were supported by adequate numbers of staff and received most calls on time.

People received the medicines they needed to maintain their heath.

People received support from staff who were skilled and knowledgeable about their care. Staff listened to people in order to understand their needs and wishes. People’s preferred ways to communicate were known to, and used by staff in order to ensure their decisions were understood and honoured.

People were routinely assessed to determine whether they required additional support with eating and drinking. If required, referrals to external healthcare professionals were arranged in order to support people’s well-being.

Staff were caring and supported people’s wishes and preferences regarding their care. Staff were aware of how different people wanted to be supported. Care was regularly reviewed to ensure staff were aware of people’s current requirements. People were supported to maintain their independence. Staff respected people’s dignity and privacy while providing care.

People received care from a consistent staff group whom they had built up a rapport with. People knew how to, and felt confident in raising issues or complaints with staff and the management team. The provider had a complaints process in place in order to progress and respond to matters raised.

People were happy with how the service was managed and saw the management team as visible and approachable. Records were well organised, accessible and kept securely. We found minor issues of improvement required in some records.

The registered manager was clear about areas of success and those that required development within the service. The provider used various audits to assess the standard of care and where improvements could be made. People’s views on the service were sought in order to drive improvements.