This was the first inspection of this agency since they were registered by the commission in August 2011 for the provision of the regulated activity of personal care. We inspected the agency office and spoke on the telephone with five of the 10 people who used the agency. We found that people were able to express their views and had been involved in making decisions about their care and treatment.
We found that people's privacy, dignity and independence were respected.
People told us that the care they received was 'acceptable' and 'satisfactory'. Another person said it was 'excellent', and a fourth person told us the care was 'very good', they were 'very pleased' with the care they received.
We found that people's care records were inaccurate and lacked detailed instructions for staff. This meant that staff may not have sufficient information to enable them to deliver the care without the potential risk of harm. People may also be placed at risk of receiving inappropriate care and treatment.
People told us that they felt safe whilst receiving care from the agency and they were aware of how to complain.
We found that people who used the agency were protected from the risk of abuse, because the provider had taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.
People told us that they received a good standard of care from the staff who worked for the agency. They told us the staff were 'acceptable', and 'X (carer's name) and I get on very well together'. People told us that staff were 'most helpful' and 'very good, nothing is too much trouble for them'.
We found that there was no structured programme of induction in place at the agency. This meant that the provider had not made arrangements to support newly appointed staff to deliver care and treatment to people without the risk of potential harm.
We found there were no systems in place to regularly assess and monitor the quality of the service provided and protect people against the risks of inappropriate care and treatment.