This inspection took place on 21 May 2018 and was announced.

Elite Care Services are located in Bedford. The service is registered to provide personal care for people who may live with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder, sensory impairments, dementia and younger adults and people living with mental health conditions.

People live in their own homes and receive support to enable them to live their lives as independently as possible either under supported living arrangements or domiciliary care. 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 including help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. At the time of this inspection 14 people received personal care from Elite Care Services.

At our last inspection in October 2015 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 on-going 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.

The service had a registered manager. 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.

Staff were trained to recognise the various forms of abuse and encouraged to report any concerns.

Risks to people’s safety were assessed and planned for. Recruitment systems were robust and there were enough staff members available to meet people’s needs safely. The arrangements for the administration of medicines were robust. The provider had appropriate infection control procedures in place and personal protective equipment (PPE) was available in people’s homes for staff to use. Personal emergency evacuation plans had been developed to guide staff how to support people to leave their homes in the event of an emergency situation.

People received effective care because they were supported by a staff team who received regular training and had a good understanding of people's needs. New staff members completed a comprehensive induction when they commenced employment with Elite Care Services. Staff received support from the management team as needed. People were supported to use technology and equipment to promote their independence where appropriate. People were supported to maintain a healthy diet as part of their support plan. Staff supported people to access healthcare appointments as needed and liaised with health and social care professionals involved in their care if their health or support needs changed. Elite Care Services worked effectively with other health and social care services to help ensure people's care needs were met.

People told us that the care workers were all kind and caring. People received their care and support from a small stable team of care workers which helped to ensure that people’s dignity and privacy was respected. Staff provided help in a way that was sensitive to each person’s individual needs and encouraged support and involvement. People’s confidential information was protected appropriately in accordance with data protection guidelines. People’s dignity and privacy was respected and promoted.

People received care and support that was responsive to their needs because staff were aware of the needs of people who used the service. People’s care plans clearly detailed how they wished staff to provide their care. People were supported to take part in activities that they enjoyed and wanted to do. The provider had a complaints policy and procedure however, had

Elite Care Services Limited provides personal care to people in their own homes, who may also be living with dementia, learning disability or a physical disability. At the time of our inspection the service provided approximately 24 packages of personal care and support.

The inspection took place on 20 and 26 October 2015.

The service had a registered manager. 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 felt safe and were treated well by staff. Staff had a good understanding of how to identify abuse, and knew how to respond appropriately to any concerns to keep people safe.

Staff managed risks to promote people’s safety, and balanced these against people’s right to take risks and remain independent.

Staff numbers were based upon the amount of care that people required, in conjunction with their assessed dependency levels. The provider had a robust recruitment process in place to ensure that only suitable staff were employed.

Systems were in place to ensure that medicines were administered and handled safely if this was an assessed part of their package of care. Medication was only administered by staff who had received training.

Staff were provided with a range of training to help them to carry out their roles effectively. They were knowledgeable about their roles and responsibilities.

Staff were meeting the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005.

People were supported to attend health appointments when required and to see social care professionals as and when they needed.

Staff treated people with compassion and cared for them according to their individual needs. They provided a personalised service to the people they supported and were enabled to forge good working relationships.

Staff had a good understanding of people’s needs and preferences and care plans were in place which provided staff with information on how to support people. People were involved in making decisions about their own care and support.

People knew how to make a complaint if they needed to and were confident that the service would listen to them.

The registered manager and senior staff consistently monitored and reviewed the quality of care people received and encouraged feedback from people and their representatives. The provider carried out regular spot checks on the service being provided and staff performance.