Excellence Care

Updated 31 January 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means they are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided. The registered manager was also the provider.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because we needed to be sure that the registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection. We also asked the registered manager to let people know we would be visiting.

We visited the main office and one of the satellite schemes on 29 October 2019.

What we did before the inspection

Prior to the inspection we gathered and reviewed information we held about the service, including information we had received from the provider. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support and plan our inspections.

During the inspection

We visited the offices at the main supported living scheme and spent time in the communal areas, so that we could informally spend time with the people using the service. We also visited one of the satellite shared houses. During our visit we spoke in-depth to one person who received personal care and with other people who lived at the schemes. Where people who received personal care did not wish to speak with us we observed their interaction with the staff supporting them.

During our visit, three people who had recently left the service and a relative of a person who did not currently receive personal care asked to speak with us to give their views of the support they had received. These have been included in the report as key stakeholders, to reflect the service’s role in supporting people to transition to more independent living.

We met with three members of care staff, two senior care staff, the registered manager, the clinical lead and the psychotherapist attached to the service.

We reviewed a range of records, including four people's care records. We looked at information relating to the management of the service, including staff files and quality audits.

After the inspection

We had contact with six professionals to find out their views about the service.

The registered manager sent us extensive information about the service after the office visit.

Updated 31 January 2020

About the service

Excellence Care provides time-limited care and support for people with enduring mental health problems, complex needs and learning disabilities. People live in a large complex of individual flats in Basildon and in five shared houses across South Essex.

The majority of the people receiving a service from Excellence Care do not receive support with their 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. The organisation had increased in size since our last inspection. At the time of the inspection the service was providing personal care to 5 people at the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

At the last inspection the service was rated as good overall with outstanding in well-led. At this inspection we found the service had continued to improve and the overall rating was now outstanding.

People’s needs and views were central to everything that happened at the service. People told us the service was somewhere they finally felt safe and respected. A person said, “Without them I don’t know where I would be.”

Professionals said this was a unique service, which had a vital role in supporting people to live independently and achieve positive outcomes. A health professional told us, “Credit where it is due. Too few services can or will provide this kind of care for adults with complex difficulties.”

The registered manager was an outstanding leader who inspired people and staff to reach their potential and have pride in their achievements. Their passion and commitment to excellence spread throughout the service ensuring it was continually evolving to reflect learning and best practice.

The service developed innovative and best practice strategies to support people safely. Staff had an enabling approach to managing risk and empowered people to be fully engaged in developing their own solutions. Staff took preventative action to support people’s mental health and enable them to continue living in their local community.

Staff had access to high quality, practical support and training and were exceptionally skilled and dedicated. Care plans contained detailed clinical advice outlining the support people needed. People’s voice was threaded throughout the plans. When they disagreed with professionals and staff their views were respected and promoted. Since our last inspection, new style care plans had been introduced to ensure information was given to people in ways they could understand.

Staff were focused on the wellbeing of the people they supported. They worked in close partnership with professionals to support people to remain healthy. People told us they particularly valued the support they received to help them stay out of hospital.

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.

Since our last inspection the service had been registered to provide support to people with learning disabilities. We found the service upheld the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence.

Support was highly flexible and personalised, adjusting to people’s changing needs. Staff treated people with dignity, respecting their right to make choices. People developed lasting relationships at the service which they valued and maintained when they no longer received support from the service. The registered manager promoted opportunities for people to feedback about their support. This feedback was used to make the service better.

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, with well-led rated as outstanding. (published 25 January 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor this service and plan to inspect in line with our timetable for services rated outstanding.