We carried out a review of the data available to us about Eleada Care Services on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Eleada Care Services, you can give feedback on this service.
Eleada Care Services is a domiciliary care agency that provides care and support to people living in their own homes. The service is also registered to provide nursing care. However, the registered manager told us that nursing care was not currently being provided by the service. When we inspected 98 people were being supported by the service. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People’s care plans and risk assessments were person centred and had been developed with the person and their representative, where appropriate. Risk assessments included guidance for staff on managing and reducing identified risks to people.
People’s risk assessments and care plans included personalised information about risks associated with infection including Covid-19. Staff had received up-to-date training and information about reducing the risk of infection to people. The provider maintained stocks of personal protection equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves and aprons. People told us staff used appropriate PPE when visiting their homes to provide care.
Some people received support with taking their prescribed medicines. We found that this was managed safely.
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Staff were recruited safely and the provider had carried out satisfactory checks of their suitability before they commenced work at the service. Induction training was provided to new staff and this was refreshed for all staff on an annual basis.
The provider had an electronic system for rostering staff and monitoring their activities. We saw this was used effectively to identify late or missed calls and follow up on these within 15 minutes. Reasons for late or missed calls were recorded in the electronic system and follow up action was taken with staff where they had failed to log in or had a record of regular lateness. People and relatives told us staff were usually on time and they were informed if they were going to be late for a care visit.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The provider had systems in place to ensure the quality of support to people was maintained and improved. Regular spot checks of care in people’s homes were carried out, and people’s views of the care they received were sought. Monitoring of care and medicines records were undertaken on a regular basis. The provider’s monitoring records showed that actions had been taken to make improvements where there had been failures in people’s care and support.
We found evidence the provider proactively worked with other professionals to ensure people received the care and support they required.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 17 July 2019)
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to anonymous concerns received about care staff and how the service monitored the support people received. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Eleada Care Services on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Eleada Care Services is a domiciliary care agency that provides care and support to people living in their own homes. The service is also registered to provide nursing care. However, the registered manager told us that nursing care was not currently being provided by the service. When we inspected 47 people were being provided with personal care by the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The care and support provided to people was person centred. People’s care plans and risk assessments included information about their care and support needs and preferences. People’s care plans were up to date and included guidance and information to assist staff in meeting people’s needs and preferences and to reduce the risk of harm.
Staff had received training about safeguarding adults. They understood their responsibilities in recording and reporting any allegation or suspicion of harm or abuse.
The service ensured that staff were safe and suitable for the work they would be undertaking. New staff did not work with people until satisfactory references and criminal records disclosures had been received.
New staff received a comprehensive induction to the service before starting work. All staff received regular training to support them meet the needs of the people they supported. Training was refreshed regularly to ensure that staff were up to date with their skills and knowledge. Staff received regular support to assist them with their work with people.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People had been involved in agreeing their care plans and participated in reviews of the care and support provided to them. People and family members said that staff asked for consent when carrying out care and support tasks.
Information about people’s religious, cultural and communication needs and preferences was recorded in their care plans. These included guidance for staff on supporting people's individual preferences.
People and their family members said that they were regularly asked for their views of the care and support that they received. Spot checks of staff care practice had taken place in people’s homes.
The service had systems to manage and respond to complaints and concerns. People and their family members were aware of the service’s complaints procedure. They knew how to make a complaint if they were unhappy with the service.
The provider undertook a range of audits to check on the quality of care provided. These showed that people were satisfied with the care and support that they received.
Rating at last inspection:
The last rating for this service was good (published 6 January 2017).
Why we inspected:
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up:
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
The service was registered with CQC on 30 November 2012 and was last inspected on 26 June 2014, at which time the service met the regulatory standards inspected.
Eleada Care Services provides a domiciliary care service that delivers personal care and support to people in their own homes. The service is also registered to carry on the regulated activity nursing care but the provider told us that currently the service did not involve nursing care. At the time of our inspection there were 39 people using the service. Most people using the service were older people some of whom were living with dementia.
The service has a registered manager 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 using the service and their relatives informed us that they were satisfied with the care and services provided. They told us they had been treated with respect and they felt safe when receiving care and support from the service. There was a safeguarding adults’ policy and suitable arrangements for safeguarding people from abuse. People told us they felt safe when receiving the service. Staff had received training to make sure they knew how to recognise and report any concerns.
The organisation carried out appropriate checks to reduce the risk of employing staff that were not suitable to work with people using the service. There were sufficient staff to meet people's needs and people told us they received the care that had been planned. Staff received the support they needed to carry out their role and responsibilities.
Risks to people's environment and well-being were assessed and recorded. Arrangements were in place to make sure medicines were managed safely and people received their medicines as prescribed.
People informed us that care workers were very kind, they were treated with dignity and their privacy was respected. People benefitted from the caring relationships they were able to build with care workers because they received consistency of care from regular care workers who were familiar with their needs. The service understood the importance of encouraging and promoting people's independence.
People, who received support with their meals, had their nutritional needs and their individual dietary preferences assessed and met.
People had care plans that were up to date and included information staff needed on how to best support them. People told us they received care and support in the way they wanted and staff respected their privacy and dignity.
Management staff including the registered manager had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and care workers applied its principles in their daily work practices. People receiving care told us they were supported to make choices and were involved in all decisions about their care. Care workers understood the importance of obtaining people’s consent before supporting them with personal care and other tasks. People told us their consent was always sought when being supported with their care and in other areas where they received support.
The provider had a complaints procedure. People knew how to raise complaints or concerns and were confident they would be addressed appropriately by the registered manager. The registered manager ensured people's feedback was sought and acted on where required.
People using the service, relatives and care workers had the opportunity to feedback their views about the quality of the service to the registered manager and were confident that actions would be taken to address suggestions for improvements.
People told us they thought the service was well run and said they would recommend it. The service liaised closely with health and social care professionals to make sure people’s needs were met.
There were systems in place to carry out checks, monitor the service and to make improvements when needed.
A single inspector carried out the inspection on 26 June 2014. We assessed the regulated activities of personal care and nursing care however the provider told us that currently they did not provide nursing care. The service currently provided personal care to one person. We visited the person at their home with their permission to obtain their view about the care they received.
The focus of the inspection was to answer five key questions: is the service safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led?
Is the service safe?
The provider vetted staff before they started work to ensure they were not barred from working with vulnerable adults. Staff received training in appropriate techniques to reduce the risk and spread of infection, and they followed these. Risks associated with people's support were always assessed, and measures were put in place to reduce risks, these were updated when people's needs changed.
Is the service effective?
The care plan for the person using the service was fit for purpose and included appropriate guidelines for their support. Feedback from the person who used the service and their advocate was positive. They told us, "The care workers are excellent and have a great sense of humour". An advocate told us "The person has improved a lot since Eleada started providing care.' The person told us, "I receive the care I need, I couldn't do without them." We found that support for staff had improved. The provider carried out more frequent on site supervisions for care workers, and planned to conduct appraisals with the care workers.
Is the service caring?
Feedback from the person who used the service and their advocate was positive. They told us, "They are always very nice".
We observed that care workers asked the person for their consent before they provided care and support, and followed the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The person who used the service told us that staff were, "Kind, caring, courteous, respectful, excellent and friendly.
Is the service responsive?
Since our last inspection the provider had commenced regular spot checks to ensure that staff provided the care and support that was required. The person who used the service told us, "The manager visits me regularly to discuss any issues, but I never had any problems." We found that staff had reviewed and updated the person's care plan since our last inspection.
Is the service well-led?
Since our previous visit on 9 January 2014 the provider reviewed their complaints procedure and system to respond and deal appropriately with complaints. The provider recruited additional staff to support the care workers and to monitor the care that they provided. The provider designed a quality assurance questionnaire and sent it to the person who used the service to obtain feedback about the care they received. the person who used the service told us, "Things are much better now, the office staff responds very quickly if I have any issues."
Additionally, we received feedback on the service from a relative of someone who no longer uses the service, through the commissioning local authority. They reported that staff did not turn up when they were supposed to, and their relative was left in an undignified state.
We found that people were not involved in decisions about their care and support, and were not provided with basic information about the service they received.
We found that people's care and support was not planned and delivered in ways that met their needs, nor were they safeguarded from the risk of abuse.
We saw that the provider did not conduct appropriate checks before staff started work, and were not aware of their obligations as employers of people working with vulnerable adults.
We found that there were not enough staff to meet people's needs, and that records relating to the management of the service were not kept or retained for an appropriate period of time.