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.

Elite Assistance Limited is a domiciliary care agency which provides personal care support to people in their own homes. At the time of our visit the agency supported 43 people with personal care and employed 33 care workers.

We visited the offices of Elite Assistance Limited on 3 December 2015. We told the provider before the visit we were coming so they could arrange for staff to be available to talk with us about the service.

The service has 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 using the service and care workers understood how to protect people from abuse. There were processes to minimise risks associated with people’s care. These included assessing individual risks such as medicine management to make sure people’s needs were safely met. People told us care workers supported them to take their medicines when needed. Care plans and risk assessments contained relevant information for care workers to help them provide the personalised care people required. People we spoke with told us about decisions they had made regarding their care which demonstrated their involvement in planning and agreeing their care support arrangements.

Checks were carried out prior to care workers starting work to ensure their suitability to work with people who used the service. People had a consistent group of care workers to support them who usually arrived on time. People told us care workers always stayed the agreed length of time and did not rush their care and they felt their needs were met.

All staff completed regular training to make sure they had the skills and knowledge to meet people’s needs safely and effectively. Where appropriate, people were supported by care workers to access health and social care professionals to address their healthcare needs.

People’s nutritional needs were being met by the service where appropriate. People who were reliant on care workers to assist with meal preparation said they were offered a choice of meals and drinks whenever this was possible.

The registered manager and care workers understood the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and how to put these into practice. Care workers told us they gained people’s consent before giving care and people told us care workers respected their right to make their own decisions about their care.

People felt the care workers were caring and respectful towards them. People told us care workers maintained their privacy and dignity and supported them to maintain some of their independence when providing personal care.

Most of the people we spoke with were not clear on the formal process to raise a complaint. However people told us they were satisfied with the service they received and if they had any concerns they would make contact with the ‘office’. People told us concerns they had raised had been listened to and acted upon.

The provider ensured people were the main focus of the service and central to the processes of care planning, assessment and the delivery of care. The management team were knowledgeable about people and their care needs and were open to people’s views. There were quality checks undertaken by the provider to ensure people received care and support in accordance with their needs and preferences.

People were asked for their opinions of the service through telephone calls, care plan reviews and quality monitoring surveys. Surveys returned showed mainly positive responses from people which demonstrated their satisfaction with the service.