The inspection took place on 26 and 31 October 2017. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our intended inspection to make sure that appropriate staff were available to assist us with the inspection. At the time of our inspection one person was being supported by the service.

There was a manager in post who had registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

We spoke with one relative who told us that their family member was kept safe and was well cared and was supported by staff who were both competent and well trained. Staff had received training in how to safeguard people from potential abuse and knew how to identify the risks associated with abuse.

The provider operated a thorough recruitment processes which helped to ensure that staff employed to provide care and support were fit to do so.

There were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet individual needs and the service provided was flexible.

The person who used the service and their relative were both very complimentary about the abilities and experience of the staff who provided their care and support.

Staff supported the person to stay safe in their home, and was supported to maintain their health and well- being. Staff developed appropriate positive and caring relationships with the person they supported and their family, and feedback from the person who used the service was consistently positive and complimentary.

Staff asked for the person’s consent before providing care and support. The person who used the service and their relative, where appropriate were involved in the initial planning of the care and support they received. The person’s personal information was stored securely and confidentiality was maintained.

The person who used the service and their relative told us they felt the staff provided care and support that was delivered in a way that promoted their dignity and respected their privacy. Staff were knowledgeable about the person’s preferred routines and delivered care that was individualised.

We were told that staff listened to them and responded to them in a positive way. The relative knew how to raise concerns if they needed to and told us they were confident that the registered manager would take appropriate action to address any concerns in a timely way.

The registered manager had arrangements in place to receive feedback from people who used the service, their relative, external stakeholders and staff members about the services provided. There was an effective system in place for people to raise complaints about the service they received.

We found that records were sufficiently maintained and the systems in place to monitor the quality of services provided were effective.