Egalite Care Ltd

There were seven supported living homes across coastal West Sussex providing support for 33 people. There were no external signs, intercom, cameras, industrial bins or anything else were not in use, to indicate it was a supported living home. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people. This meant people were not identified as receiving care and their privacy respected.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive exceptionally well planned and co-ordinated person- centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

The management and leadership of the service were exceptional. The registered manager and management team had an excellent understanding of the provision of care and support for people living with a learning disability. They had actively sought education opportunities for themselves and their staff to build on their detailed knowledge following the last inspection. This meant people had access to the highest quality care from managers and staff that had an exceptional knowledge of their needs. A health and social care professional told us, "I would use Egalité as an example of what small providers can deliver in terms of high- quality support. Egalité has managers that are confident, proactive and understand learning disability."

The registered manager was committed to continuous learning and fostered a supportive and enabling

culture for both people and staff. People, their relatives and staff were highly complimentary of the management of the service. A relative told us, "We can't fault them at all, they manage everything well and my loved one is happy and content."

People received a truly person-centred service which promoted excellent outcomes for them which included supporting their independence and to have control over their lives. Following the last inspection, the management team focussed on further developing people's independence to enhance their quality of life. This had resulted in people having new and exciting experiences, reducing the level of support they needed due to staff developing people's skill sets and people moving on from the service with a new level of independence and lease of life. The management and staff team continued to foster a caring and compassionate culture which put people at the centre of their care. People were supported to follow their interests and staff supported them to overcome any barriers to make the most of new opportunities. Staff really cared for people they supported and were invested in maintaining and promoting their wellbeing.

Staff had an in-depth knowledge of the people they supported and worked with them daily to improve their quality of life. Activities were led by people's choices and were reflective of their social, cultural and wellbeing needs. Staff really focussed on people's interests to enable them to have new experiences. People were supported to be active in their local communities and develop new skills to broaden their horizons.

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's nutritional and healthcare needs were met in a timely way. Staff received a range of training opportunities that were specifically designed to enable them to effectively support people using the service.

People were safe. One person told us, "I do feel safe, they are very good. I would tell the carers if I felt unsafe." Risks to people were identified, assessed and managed safely with an enabling and empowering focus so no one was restricted. Staff supported people to take positive risks and were flexible in their approach. There were enough staff to meet people's needs safely and recruitment processes were robust with people included so they had a say about who might be employed to support them. Medicines were managed and administered safely, by trained and competent staff who supported people to have as much control as possible .