Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection for this service.

About the service: Paramount Care (Gateshead) Limited (Elliott House) is a care home that can accommodate up to 11 people who have additional learning needs and/ or mental health issues. The home provides people with opportunities to develop independence skills and coping strategies. On the day of our inspection there were five people using the service.

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.

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection as part of our inspection programme.

People’s experience of using this service: Everyone we spoke with told us Elliott House was a good place to reside and visit, that staff were kind and caring and that people were treated with respect. People said staff knew them very well and could anticipate their needs and that support was delivered in a timely way. People and their relatives described high levels of satisfaction with the service which impacted positively on their overall wellbeing.

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 systems in the service supported this practice. People were involved in their day to day lives and were empowered to make their own choices about where they spent their time. Their independence was promoted and staff actively ensured people maintained links with their friends and family. Where appropriate, people were supported to make decisions about their preferences for end of life care.

The environment supported people to have time on their own and time with other people if they chose this. Cleanliness and health and safety were well managed. The environment was safe and people had access to appropriate equipment where needed.

Staff recruitment was safe. There was enough staff on duty at the right time to enable people to receive care in a timely way. Staff had appropriate skills and knowledge to deliver care and support in a person-centred way. Staff understood how to keep people safe and used information following accidents and incidents to reduce the likelihood of future harm.

People's health was well managed and staff had positive links with professionals which promoted their wellbeing. In addition, people had opportunity to access a range of activities including access to the local community.

People were observed to have good relationships with the staff team. The registered manager worked well to lead the staff team in their roles and ensure people received a good service. People, their relatives and staff all felt confident raising concerns and sharing ideas. All feedback was used to make continuous improvements to the service.

A full description of our findings can be found in the sections below.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as part of our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect sooner.