Elite Assistance Limited

Updated 12 December 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 checked 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.

The office visit took place on 7 November 2018 and was announced. We told the registered manager seven days before our visit we would be coming so they could make sure they would be available to speak with us and arrange for us to speak with their staff.

We inspected the service because it was previously rated 'Good’, and it was time for us to return to check whether the rating continued to be 'Good'.

This comprehensive inspection was carried out by one inspector, an assistant inspector and an expert-by experience. An expert-by- experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

We used 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 us some key information about what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The information reflected the service we saw.

Prior to our visit we reviewed the information we held about the service. We looked at the information received from our 'Share Your Experience' web forms and the statutory notifications the service had sent us. A statutory notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send to us by law. We also spoke to local authority commissioning teams. They had no information to share with us about the service.

The registered manager sent us a list of people who used the service before our inspection. We contacted people via telephone and spoke with seven people and 10 relatives to gather their views on the service they received. We used this information to form part of our judgements.

During our visit we spoke with the registered manager, the senior care co-ordinator, the care coordinator, a senior care worker and three care workers.

We reviewed the care records of five people to see how their care and support was planned and delivered. We looked at four staff recruitment files, staff training records, and records associated with the provider's quality monitoring systems to see how the service operated.

Updated 12 December 2018

This inspection site visit took place on 7 November 2018 and was announced. We gave the registered manager seven days’ notice of our visit, so they could make sure they would be available to speak with us.

Elite Assistance Limited is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to everyone living in their own homes. It operates across Solihull, in the West Midlands. There were 75 people using the service at the time of this inspection and 60 people were in receipt of the regulated activity personal care.

A requirement of the provider's registration is that they have a registered manager. There was an experienced registered manager in post at the time of our inspection who was also the provider. 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.

People received safe care. Staff had completed safeguarding adults training and they knew how to manage risks associated with people’s care. Risk management plans provided staff with the information they needed to keep people as safe as possible.

Staff were recruited safely, and enough staff were employed to meet people's needs. People's care and support was provided by consistent workers at the times people expected for the correct length of time.

New staff received an induction when they started work at the service. A programme of regular training supported staff to keep their skills and knowledge up to date.

People received their medicines when they needed them from competent staff. The service worked in partnership with health and social care professionals to support people to maintain their well-being and health.

Staff knew what action to take in the event of an emergency and a system to record any accidents and incidents that occurred was in place.

Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to infection control which protected people from the risk of infection.

The provider was working within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

People received their care in line with their wishes and were complimentary about the level of care shown by staff. People were supported to be independent. Staff maintained people’s dignity and respected their right to privacy.

People’s care plans contained up to date information and showed the inclusion of people and their families.

People received information about the service in a way they could understand, and a system was in place to manage complaints about the service provided.

People spoke positively about the leadership of the service. Staff enjoyed working as Elite Assistance Limited and they felt supported by their managers. The management team recognised the contribution and hard work of staff members.

Systems to monitor, assess and improve the quality and safety of the service were effective.

The service welcomed feedback from people and their families to drive forward improvement.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities and the requirements of their registration.