This announced inspection of Workwise Healthcare was carried out on 9 and 12 December 2016.

Workwise Healthcare provides support to people in their own homes in Mansfield and the surrounding areas of north Nottinghamshire. At the time of our inspection 120 people were using the service.

The service had a registered manager in place at the time of our visit. 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.

People told us they felt safe receiving care in their homes from staff of Workwise Healthcare and did not have any concerns about the care they received. Staff knew how to protect people from harm and referrals were made to the appropriate authority when concerns were raised.

Risks to people’s safety were identified and managed, and assessments were carried out to identify how to minimise the risk of harm. For example in relation to falls or environmental risks.

People received care and support in a timely way and there were sufficient numbers of suitably qualified and experienced staff employed. Appropriate pre-employment checks were carried out before staff began work at Workwise Healthcare.

People who required support to take their prescribed medicines received assistance from staff to do so safely.

People were supported by staff who received training and support to ensure they could meet people’s needs. Ongoing training and assessment for care staff was scheduled to help maintain their knowledge.

People provided consent to any care and treatment provided. Where people did not have capacity to give informed consent their best interests and rights were protected under the Mental Capacity Act (2005). People’s wishes regarding their care and treatment were respected by staff.

People were supported by staff to maintain healthy nutrition and hydration. People had access to healthcare professionals when required and staff followed their guidance to ensure people maintained good health.

Excellent links were established with healthcare professionals and people had access to these when required. Staff worked in partnership with healthcare professionals and followed their guidance to ensure people maintained good health.

People told us they were treated with compassion dignity and respect and staff ensured their privacy was protected. We observed very positive, caring relationships between staff, people using the service and their relatives. Staff always ensured that people and their relatives were involved in making decisions about their care and their wishes were respected. .

Staff had an excellent understanding of people’s support needs and used skill and innovative methods to ensure they received personalised responsive care. Forethought and innovation was used to ensure that people had the opportunity to take part in enjoyable, constructive activities that reflected their interests and life history.

There was an open and transparent culture at the service. People were encouraged to raise any issues or complaints and could be assured these would be listened to and acted on by the provider. Quality monitoring systems were in place to identify areas for improvement and ensure these were actioned.