Background to this inspection
Updated
16 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 one inspector and one 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.
Service and service type
This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.
What we did before the inspection
Before the inspection we looked at information that we had received about the service and formal notifications that the service had sent to CQC. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.
During the inspection
We spoke with the registered manager who was also the nominated individual, one director and the deputy manager. We also reviewed a range of records. This included five people’s care and medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We also reviewed records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance records.
After the inspection
We spoke with seven people who used the service and nine relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with one team leader and three homecare workers. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and staff rotas.
Updated
16 January 2020
About the service
Elite Choice Homecare Limited is a domiciliary care service providing personal care and support to people living in their own homes. The service primarily supports older people, people with physical disabilities and some people who are living with dementia.
Not everyone who used the service received 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. At the time of the inspection the service was supporting 33 people.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People were complimentary of the care and support that they received. People and their relatives confirmed that they felt safe and stated that they were supported by a regular team of care staff who treated them with dignity and respect.
Risks associated with people’s health and care needs were assessed and staff were given clear guidance and direction on how to manage identified risks so that people could be kept safe from harm.
People received their medicines on time and as prescribed. Medicine management systems in place supported this.
The service currently had appropriate staff availability to support people safely. Each staff had been checked and verified to ensure that they were safe and suitable to work with vulnerable adults.
People were supported to maintain a healthy and balanced diet where this was an identified need. Where required the service helped people to access appropriate health and social care services to promote and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Staff were regularly supported and trained so that they could effectively carry out their role.
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.
People told us that care staff were kind and caring. We were also told that staff knew people well and supported them in a person centred and individual way which was responsive to their needs.
Care plans were person centred and detailed every aspect of each person’s care and support needs and the ways in which people wanted to be supported with these.
People and their relatives knew who to speak with if they had any concerns or complaints to raise and were confident these would be addressed and resolved appropriately.
The registered manager and the management team had implemented several checks and audits to monitor and oversee the quality of care people received. This enabled the service to learn, develop and improve the quality of care provided.
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 (published 21 June 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.