Wright Care at Home provides personal care services to older people and people with mental health needs living in their own homes in the Stamford area.

We inspected the service on 5 July 2017. The inspection was announced. At the time of our inspection 25 people were receiving a personal care service.

There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. A registered manager (‘the manager’) is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Like registered providers (‘the provider’), 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.

CQC is required by law to monitor how a provider applies the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and to report on what we find. Staff had received training in this area and demonstrated their understanding of how to support people who lacked the capacity to make some decisions for themselves.

People were at the heart of the service. Staff understood what was important to each person and worked closely with each other and other professionals to promote their well-being and happiness. People were actively involved in the preparation and review of their personal care plan.

Staffing resources were managed to ensure that staff had time to meet each person’s care and support needs and to interact with them socially. People told us that staff were always on time and that calls were never missed.

Staff had the knowledge and skills required to meet people’s individual needs effectively and were actively encouraged to study for advanced qualifications. The registered manager provided staff with supervision and support, including direct observation of their care practice. The provider had a system in place to ensure staff received background check before they were employed.

The provider went above and beyond usual homecare service in a number of different ways. Events were organised to give people a chance to meet each other socially. Staff encouragedand supported people to retain an active presence in their local community and to maintain personal interests and hobbies.

The registered manager was known personally to everyone who used the service and provided staff with strong leadership. Staff worked together in a friendly and supportive way. They were proud to work for the service and provide a quality service. Staff felt listened to by the registered manager and provider.

The provider was committed to the continuous improvement of the service and maintained a range of auditing and monitoring systems to ensure the care provided reflected people’s needs and preferences. The provider sought people’s opinions on the quality of the service and encouraged people to raise any concerns or suggestions directly with the manager or other senior staff.

The provider assessed potential risks to people and staff and put preventive measures in place where required. Staff knew how to recognise and report any concerns to keep people safe from harm.

People who needed staff assistance to take their medicines were supported safely and staff assisted people to eat and drink whenever this was required.