Elegant Care Services is a domiciliary care agency. This service provides care and support to people living in a ‘supported living’ setting, so that they can live in their own home 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. People using the service lived in two multi-occupation properties which were shared by ten people, five in each property. Houses in multiple occupation are properties where at least three people in more than one household share toilet, bathroom or kitchen facilities. Elegant Care Services provides a service to adults with a learning disability or people with mental health conditions.

Not everyone using Elegant Care Services receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection, four people were receiving the regulated activity.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The inspection took place on 24 January 2019 and was announced.

There was a registered manager in post. 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 service was last inspected in July 2016. At that inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found examples of outstanding care and support in both the effective and responsive domains which have been rated accordingly.

The provider kept staffing levels under review and took time to match appropriately trained staff who had similar interests with the people they supported. The staff team was well established and stable, they were deployed appropriately to provide safe support for people. Robust recruitment practices helped to ensure only suitable people were employed to work at the service.

People were protected from the risk of abuse by staff who were trained and had the knowledge and skills to identify safeguarding concerns and act on them. Risks to people's health and well-being were assessed and appropriate plans were in place to minimise risks. The management team worked closely with the housing provider, conducting regular checks on the safety of the premises, reporting any issues promptly. People were supported to manage their medicines safely.

People received extremely effective support from a staff team who were regularly supervised and had their personal performance evaluated at an annual appraisal. Staff were trained in the skills necessary to fulfil their role and had received further training in areas relating to the specific needs of the people they supported.

The service had a strong person-centred approach which focussed on the individuals supported. The consistent approach used by the staff team had enabled people to make changes in their lifestyle and develop independence in order to bring about positive outcomes in their lives. Staff worked with health and social care professionals to meet people’s complex health needs and adopted a positive and forward-thinking attitude to supporting them to live life to the full.

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 s

Elegant Care Services provides personal care to people with learning disabilities living in a supported living environment or in their own homes. During our inspection there were six people using the service. However, the service was providing a regulated activity to two people at the time of our visit.

The registered manager has been in post since January 2014. 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

This is the first inspection of the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

People said the staff were caring and kind and treated them with dignity and respect. For instance one person commented, “Friendly, kind and helpful staff.” During our visit we observed people were comfortable with the staff member who supported them and was engaged in positive conversation with them.

Staff established good working relationships with people and demonstrated a good understanding of people’s care needs. They spoke confidently about people’s support needs, their hobbies and interests and communication needs. We found this to be line with what was written in people’s care records.

People supported to be involved in decision making and were able to express their opinions on the care and support received. A review of one to one key working meeting notes confirmed this. Staff respected people’s privacy and ensured their dignity was protected. A staff member commented, “Personal care is carried out in a dignified way and I ensure people’s bodies are covered.”

People strongly felt they were supported by staff who had the skills and the knowledge to give them the support they need. The service sought people’s consent and involved them in decisions. We saw people’s nutritional needs were met and they were supported to maintain good health.

People said they felt safe in the service and staff who knew how to recognise and report any concerns or potential abuse. Risks of abuse to people were minimised because the servicer had a robust recruitment procedure. There were sufficient staff to provide care and support to people, a review of staff rosters confirmed this.

People received care that was specific to their individual needs. Care records captured what was important to people this included their preferences; hobbies and interests; spiritual and cultural needs. People were actively engaged in a wide variety of social activities and staff encouraged people to maintain their hobbies and interests. This ensured people’s social well-being was promoted.

People said they knew how to raise concerns. We noted the complaints booklet was available in an easy read format to enable people to understand what to do and who to talk to if they had concerns. Relatives felt staff responded well to concerns raised and staff felt supported by management when they raised concerns.

We received positive feedback in regards to how well led the service was. For instance, one person commented, “I am very happy where I live and I would recommend this place to any friend.” The service sought people’s views about the care they received and took appropriate action in response to the feedback received.

The service had established effective quality assurance systems to assess monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service it provided.