Elite Care Solutions Ltd

Updated 3 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 was a comprehensive inspection. This inspection site visit took place on 16 April 2018 and was carried out by two inspectors. This inspection was announced; We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because we needed to be sure staff would be available during the inspection, so we could access relevant records at the service’s office. A second inspection day took place on 20 April 2018 and was announced so people who used the service and staff could be contacted for feedback on the telephone.

Before the inspection we looked at information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return (PIR). This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually, to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed the information we held about the service, including statutory notifications, which the provider had submitted. Statutory notifications contained information about important events which took place at the service. For example, safeguarding notifications, which gave us information about how incidents and accidents had been managed. We also contacted the local authority's contracts monitoring and safeguarding teams and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is the independent national champion for people who use health and social care services.

During the inspection we spoke with five staff members including the manager. We spoke with six people who used the service including one relative. On the second day, we spoke with the registered manager on the telephone as they were unavailable during the first day.

After the inspection we requested feedback from five professionals and received feedback from two.

During the inspection, we looked at the care records of five people who used the service, which included support plans, risk assessments and medication records. We reviewed five staff files and their training and supervision records. We also looked at a selection of documentation relating to the management and running of the service. These included minutes of meetings with staff and people who used the service, quality assurance documentation, policies and procedures, complaints and maintenance records.

Updated 3 July 2018

This inspection took place on 16 and 20 April 2018 and was announced.

Elite Care Solutions is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to both adults and children living in their own homes with a range of needs including physical and learning disabilities and dementia related conditions. At the time of this inspection 56 people were being supported by the service.

There was a registered manager 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 in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. In addition, there was also a manager in post at the time of the inspection, although it was their last day at the company. They were managed by the registered manager and assisted with the daily running of the service.

This was a comprehensive inspection that looked at whether the service was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

At our last inspection we rated the service 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.

People were supported by sufficient numbers of staff. Staff had been recruited safely and were knowledgeable about how to keep people safe from harm. Risks were identified and clearly documented in people’s care plans.

Staff administered people’s medication as prescribed and supported independence with this wherever possible. Guidance was in place to support staff to administer medications, but some of these required more detail. We spoke with the registered manager and they agreed to rectify.

People received effective support from staff that were knowledgeable about their individual needs and able to support them in line with their preferences. People’s care plans were person-centred and reflected their needs, health conditions, interests and how they wanted support to be provided.

People were supported by qualified and skilled staff to meet their needs. Staff were supported in their role and encouraged to access ongoing training, as well as having regular supervision and appraisals.

The registered manager and staff understood their responsibilities in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005. 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 were supported to make their own decisions and consent was gained before care or support was provided.

Staff were caring and understood the importance of confidentiality and respected people’s privacy. People were supported to be independent and were treated with respect. They were involved in care planning and attended regular reviews of their care. Staff were responsive to people’s needs and supported them to access healthcare services and pursue their hobbies and interests.

People’s views were listened to and responded to. People felt able to complain in the event they were unhappy with the service they received. There were effective quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided, understand the experiences of people who used the service and identify any concerns.

There was a positive culture and the registered manager was committed to driving improvement. Staff worked in partnership with other organisations and professionals to achieve outcomes for people who used the service and keep up-to-date with best practice.

Further information is in the detailed findings below