Elite Care Services (UK) Ltd

Updated 19 July 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 26 and 27 June 2018 and was announced. The inspection team consisted of one adult social care inspector. During the inspection we spoke with the owner of the service, the Registered Manager, office the training officer and the administrator. We spoke with four people using the service and seven members of care staff.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community. It provides a service to people living in the Tameside area of Greater Manchester.

Prior to the inspection we considered information we held about the service, such as notifications in relation to safeguarding and incidents which the provider had told us about and contacted the local authority and the local Safeguarding team to seek their views about the service. The feedback from these people was positive. We did not ask the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) before the inspection.

We reviewed a sample of people's medicine records, four care files, four staff recruitment records, staff training and development records, records relating to how the service was being managed such as records for safety audits and a sample of the services operational policies and procedures. We also saw feedback from people given directly to the service.

Updated 19 July 2018

This inspection took place on 26 and 27 June 2018 and was announced. This was the first inspection of this service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the Tameside area of Greater Manchester. At the time of our inspection 21 people were using the service.

People told us they felt safe with the service. Care workers were trained to identify signs of abuse and they told us they would feel confident in raising any concerns. Processes were in place to support the investigation of any concerns.

Risks to people were assessed and where people may be exposed to risk, measures were put in place to allow them to do the things they chose as safely as possible. We saw these assessments were regularly updated.

People told us the care staff didn’t rush them and if they finished their care tasks they would stay and have a conversation with the person. Care workers told us their rotas were well managed and allowed them the time to spend with people.

Appropriate checks were made on applicants before they were offered work and new staff underwent appropriate training and shadowing before they were allowed to work unsupervised.

Procedures were in place to support people with their medicines. Where people did need support, they were involved in drawing up a plan of what support they needed. Medication records were regularly audited and had been redesigned shortly before our inspection to make them easier for the care workers to use and reduce the risk of people not receiving their medicines correctly.

People we spoke with told us the care workers used personal protective equipment (PPE) such as disposable gloves and aprons and infection control techniques such as washing their hands. Care workers received infection control training and supplies of PPE were available to them.

People and their relatives told us they felt their choices were reflected in the care they received. Where people had cultural or religious needs these were included in the way they were supported.

In addition to the mandatory training and assessments for care workers, additional training was offered to give them greater insight into particular health conditions or areas of care they were interested. Care workers were encouraged to undertake vocational qualifications and were supported through the process. Care workers told us they felt very supported by the office staff.

People using the service spoke highly of the care workers and felt they were treated in a respectful and caring way. Relatives of people using the service also commented that they too felt supported by the care workers.

People were encouraged to be as independent as possible. People using the service gave us examples of how this was done and their care records emphasised that care workers should encourage people to do the things they are able to. The dignity and privacy of people was protected and people using the service gave us examples of how the care workers achieved this.

The care workers were punctual to their visits and people using the service told us they felt they could rely on the care workers turning up when they were due and were always informed if for any reason the care worker was running late.

Care records contained detailed information about the life history of the person and people we spoke with told us they felt the care workers knew them very well and understood how they wanted to be supported. People told us how care workers had suggested trips out that they had enjoyed because they knew their interests well.

Information on how to make a complaint was available to people and people we spoke with told us they felt happy to raise any concerns they had. Where complaints had been made they had been investigated and apologies had been given where appropriate. Complaints were analysed to identify any learning or trends. Learning was shared across the organisation either through a conference call or through regular team meetings.

The service had supported people as they approached the end of their life and care workers had received training in end of life care. Care workers were also given the opportunity to visit a funeral director to understand what happened to someone’s body after they died. Care workers told us this allowed them to answer questions and provide reassurance to people who were dying and their relatives. Support was also offered to families after their relative had died.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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. The registered manager had a clear understanding of their responsibilities.

The service had been awarded a Top 20 Homecare Provider (NW England) by a popular care review website and had been nominated for other local awards. They had achieved Daisy accreditation, which is a nationally recognised standard for providing dignity in care.

People using the service were engaged in developing the service and were asked frequently to share their views and suggestions. Care workers were also involved and felt suggestions they made were listened to.