Archived: Elite Home Care Limited

People’s experience of using this service:

People were supported by staff who had the skills and knowledge to meet their needs safely and effectively and followed best practice. Views of people were valued and used to make improvements to their care and support.

People's care and support needs were being met in line with their personal preferences. The service responded promptly when people’s needs changed. The service worked well with other health professionals to make sure people’s care needs were met.

People were actively involved in making decisions about their care. They 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.

Staff members felt they were valued and respected by the management team, who sought their involvement to improve and develop the service.

People were supported by staff who were caring, kind, respected their dignity and privacy, and promoted their independence.

The service was very well managed, by a registered manager and management team who were described as ‘supportive’, ‘approachable’ and, ‘brilliant’. Quality assurance systems, including audits, feedback from people who used the service and staff were all used to make continuous improvements to the quality of the service people received.

Rating at last inspection: The last inspection report was published in February 2017 and the service was rated Good.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection. The service was rated Good overall.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.

There was a registered manager in post at 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 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

The service was last inspected in October 2013. There were no breaches of regulation at that time.

The service was safe. Risk assessments were implemented and reflected the current level of risk to people. There were sufficient staffing levels to ensure safe care and treatment. People’s medicines were being managed safely. People told us they felt safe.

People were receiving effective care and support. Staff received training which was relevant to their role. The service was adhering to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA).Staff supervisions and appraisals were being completed. People were supported to access health professionals. People could choose what they liked to eat and drink.

Staff told us there was an open culture and the environment was an enjoyable place to work. Staff were extremely passionate about their job roles and felt integral to the process of providing effective care to people. There was positive feedback from relatives regarding the management.

The service was caring. We observed staff supporting people in a caring and patient way. Staff knew the people they supported well and were able to describe what they liked to do and how they liked to be supported. People were supported sensitively with an emphasis on promoting their rights to privacy, dignity, choice and independence. People were supported to undertake meaningful activities, which reflected their interests.

The service was responsive to people’s needs. Care and support plans were person centred to provide consistent, high quality care and support. Daily records and visit notes were detailed and contained sufficient information for staff to read and support people effectively.

The service was well led. Quality assurance checks and audits were occurring regularly and identified actions to improve the service. People, staff and relatives spoke positively about the registered manager.

Clear information was in place about people's abilities to make decisions. Information had been recorded to show if people were able to give consent for the support and treatment affecting their health and care.

People were cared for by staff who had been through a robust recruitment process. On-going monitoring, training and supervision of staff took place.

Quality assurance checks had been completed to help continually improve the service. The team leader and senior care staff conducted regular spot checks on staff performance and the provider obtained feedback regularly. People who used the service told us they felt able to raise a complaint if they had one. We found that people and staff felt confident taking any suggestions or concerns to the provider. A relative of one person told us that, "I find the manager and staff approachable, they are caring, professional and kind and know my mother well'.

All of the people using the service we spoke with told us they were happy with the service provided and told us that they felt involved in their care. People told us that all aspects of their care had been discussed with them. One person told us, "I receive personal care support. The care staff team respect my privacy and maintain my dignity". This meant care was provided to people in a way that they wanted.

People spoken with told us the staff were friendly, treated them with respect and always asked their opinion. One person told us "staff ask me what I want and how I want to be supported''.

We checked how the service was administering medication and found this was done safely.

People using the service told us they knew who to contact if they had any concerns. We saw records that showed us complaints and concerns were investigated. This meant if people raised any concerns, the appropriate action would be taken.

People were fully protected from the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care and treatment because accurate and appropriate records were being maintained.