Wyndsor Home Care Service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes. At the time of the inspection 11 people were provided with personal care.

Not everyone using Wyndsor Home Care receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

At our last inspection in December 2015 we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

This inspection took place 22 August 2018 and was announced.

The service had a registered manager who was also the registered provider and they understood the responsibilities of their registration with us. They reported significant events to us, such as safety incidents, in accordance with the requirements of their registration when this was required. 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 were supported to remain safe in their own home because staff were aware of the risks associated with people's needs and home environments and how to reduce these. Staff were provided with the knowledge and equipment to reduce the risks of the spread of infections. Staff were knowledgeable about the different types of abuse and knew how to report concerns. The registered manager followed well managed recruitment procedures to make sure potential new staff were suitable to work with people who used the service.

The registered manager assessed staffing levels dependent on people's level of needs. People were supported by staff who had the necessary skills and knowledge to understand and meet people's needs. Staff felt supported and had access to training relevant to their roles.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff put into practice the knowledge they had gained which included seeking people's consent before supporting them and respected their decisions. Staff provided information to people in a way they understood to support them to make their own decisions.

People were offered choice about what they wanted to eat and drink with staff checking where necessary people were eating and drinking sufficiently to meet their individual needs. People who needed staff assistance with their medicines were supported with these to support their health and wellbeing. Staff also worked closely with local health and social care services and supported people whenever this was required to access any specialist support they needed.

People were support by staff who were caring and showed respect towards them. Staff had formed positive caring relationships with people who used the service and their relatives. People were supported to remain as independent as possible due to staff knowing people's individual likes and dislikes. Staff were mindful to support people in a way which maintained their dignity and upheld their right to privacy.

People received individualised care which reflected their needs and wishes. People benefitted from a flexible service which was responsive to changes in their needs and requirements. People were given opportunities to comment on the quality of the service and felt comfortable to raise any concerns with staff or the registered manager who they knew well.

This inspection took place on 4 and 8 December 2015 and was announced.

Wyndsor Home Care provides personal care for people in their own home. There were seven people using the service when we inspected and the provider was the registered manager. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The provider

People received care from staff that protected them from the risk of potential abuse. People told us they felt safe when staff were in their home providing care. People's individual risks had been recorded and reviewed. Staff told us they looked at and had plans in place to understand how to provide safe care. There was a small staffing team who provided care at the times people had wanted it. People managed their own medicines; however staff provided assistance with reminders or applying creams when needed.

Staff received regular training and were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities. They had the skills, knowledge and experience required to support people with their care and support needs. The provider had recognised that further training in understanding capacity assessments would be needed to continue to meet people’s needs in the future. However, staff understood the need to gain people consent to care and treatment before providing any care or assistance.

Staff told us they knew all people they supported and got to know them well. Care plans were in place that provided the level of personal information that people had wanted to share. The plans provided staff with guidance about people’s preferred support and people were involved in making decisions about their care. People were supported to have their meals prepared and if needed healthcare appointments could be arranged on request.

People were happy that their care needs were met from staff they knew well. People felt that all staff promoted and supported them in a dignified way. They also felt the support provided helped them to maintain independence.

People received care from the registered manager so they were always able to talk with them about any concerns if needed. They also had been able to contact them out of working hours when needed for advice or assistance. People and staff felt they were able to speak with the registered manager and provide feedback on the service. The registered manager told us they kept their knowledge current and provide staff with input and direction about the levels of care they expected. Regular checks were completed to monitor the quality of the care that people received, that included reviewing records and observing staff practices.

When we carried out our inspection of the agency it was providing personal care for six adults in their own home. During this inspection we spoke with the registered manager who is also the registered provider. Following our inspection we spoke with four people who used the service and one relative on the telephone. In addition, we spoke with two members of staff who visited people to provide care.

We found that before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent by staff who acted in accordance with their wishes. People told us: “They are always asking me, all the time, if I’m ok with everything” and: “They get into a routine, that’s what I like”.

People who used the service told us that the staff were friendly and provided good care. Comments included: “I have plenty of help” and: “Absolutely marvellous care”. Staff we spoke with told us that they had received training and support before they started work at the agency. One staff member told us: “It’s a nice place to work and I feel happy in my work”.

The provider was able to demonstrate that they listened to people who used the service and regularly reviewed and monitored the care to make sure people received appropriate care.

This was the first inspection since the service had recently commenced operating. Therefore, the agency had relatively few people using the service at the time of the inspection. We spoke with two people who were using the service and one relative by telephone. We visited the agency’s office; spoke with the registered provider and later with three care workers by telephone.

People told us the care workers were mindful of their dignity and encouraged them to do as much as they could for themselves so that they could maintain their independence.

People we spoke with told us the support they received was what they expected to have. They confirmed that an assessment had been carried out and a care plan developed before their care and support had commenced. We asked about the standard of care they received, one person said:

“Excellent, first class.”

The people we spoke with told us they had no concerns about their safety. During our inspection visit we saw that there were systems in place for the prevention of abuse.

We looked at the methods used for the recruitment of staff and found non-compliance with the respective Regulation. The registered provider was not using a safe method for recruitment of care workers. The registered provider will be asked to provide us with an action plan explaining what they will do to ensure a more robust system will be put in place.

People told us they had benefitted from a reliable service because the care workers who visited them knew what to do. A relative told us:

“Very satisfied, they are very good.”

The agency had a complaints procedure in place and had not received any concerns or complaints since it commenced operating. We saw that people had received information about how to make a complaint.