The Chester Link

This service was last inspected in March 2016 and was rated 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 service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes in the community. It provides a service to adults who have a learning disability. The service is provided in Chester, Cheshire.

There were 15 people receiving regulated activity at the time we carried out our inspection.

There was an experienced registered manager responsible for the day-to-day management of the service. 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 this was a good service and said they would recommend it. The staff knew people well and treated them in a kind and caring way. People valued the service they received. There were enough staff to support people. People received support from a small team of staff who they knew. Safe systems were used when new staff were employed to check they were suitable to work in people's homes.

The staff were well trained and skilled to care for people. They knew how to provide people's care safely and to protect people from abuse and harm. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People consented to the care they received and their rights were respected. People's needs were assessed and care was planned and provided to meet their needs.

People knew the registered manager and how they could contact her. The registered manager set high standards and checked the service to ensure these were met.

The registered provider had a procedure for receiving and responding to complaints about the service. They prided themselves on being response to any concerns raised before they became complaints.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found