Suffolk Home First South

At the service's last inspection of 8 June 2016, this service was rated good overall and in each key question. At this inspection we identified that people continued to receive a safe, effective, caring and responsive service. Improvements had been made in the key question well-led, which is now rated as outstanding.

There were two registered managers in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People received a service which was extremely well-led. The registered managers were very knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities in providing people with high quality care and support. The registered managers had systems in place to continuously improve the service and used any issues that arose to improve the service. There were systems to assess and monitor the service provided. Where improvements were identified swift actions were taken to address them to ensure people were provided with an extremely high quality service at all times. There was a very open culture and people using the service and staff were encouraged to share their views of the service and these were valued and used to drive improvement.

People continued to receive a safe service. Risks to people were managed, including risks from abuse and in their daily lives. The service learned from incidents to improve the service. There were systems to ensure there enough support workers to ensure that all planned visits for people were completed. Support workers were recruited safely. Where people required support with their medicines, this was done safely. There were infection control processes to reduce the risks of cross infection.

People continued to receive an effective service. Support workers were trained and supported to meet the needs of the people using the service. Where people required assistance with their dietary needs, this was provided. People were supported to have access to health professionals where needed. The service worked with other organisations involved in people's care to provide a consistent service. The service understood and worked to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People continued to receive a caring service. People told us about the positive relationships they had with their support workers. People's dignity, privacy and independence were respected and promoted. People's views were listened to and valued. People were central to the care they received and were consulted throughout their care provision.

People continued to receive a responsive service. People received personalised care and support which was assessed, planned for and delivered to meet their individual needs. A complaints procedure was in place and people's concerns were addressed. There were no people using the service who required end of their life care, but systems were in place would this be required.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found