eLIVEate Care and Support

People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual arrangements. The CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's care and support.

At the time of this inspection the service was providing care and support to four people, who all lived in their own separate supported living setting, in the Plymouth and surrounding areas.

The service also provided an 'enabling' service to people living in their own homes. At the time of this inspection people using this service did not receive a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people who are provided with the regulated activity of 'personal care', for example which includes help with tasks such as personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.

People had settled into their new homes and each person had a team of regular staff. Staff knew people well and had built trusting and caring relationships with them. Staff involved relatives in people's care and support and valued their input and knowledge of the person. Comments from relatives included, "[Person] gets on well with all members of his team. It is essential that my son has a good, trusting relationship with his team of support, so having a regular team really helps not only my son but also me. I know the team so we can share knowledge and tips around supporting my son" and "eLIVEate have arranged, as far as possible, that [person] has the benefit of a regular team of carers. Furthermore, we have access to an App that allows us to view care arrangements in advance. We have regular contact with senior staff allowing discussion and planning going forward."

Staff's in-depth knowledge of how people communicated ensured people had maximum control over their lives and how they spent their time. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Care and behaviour support plans were accurate and kept under regular review, with the involvement of the person and their family. They provided staff with comprehensive guidance to ensure people's needs were met. Risks were identified and staff had clear instructions to help them support people to reduce the risk of avoidable harm.

Staff were recruited safely. Staff were supported by a system of induction, training, supervisions, appraisals and staff meetings. Staff were appropriately trained, and their competency regularly checked, to ensure people's individual needs were met.

Cleaning and infection control procedures had been updated in line with COVID-19 guidance to help protect people, visitors and staff from the risk of infection. Government guidance about COVID-19 testing for people, staff and visitors was being followed.

People's relatives and staff told us management were approachable and they listened to them when they had any concerns or ideas. All feedback was used to make continuous improvements to the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

This service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

The Right support: The model of care and setting maximised people's choice, control and independence. Staff supported people to make choices about their daily lives and engage in activities that they enjoyed and promoted their independence. People were supported to maintain and develop relationships.

There were enough staff on duty to meet people's individual needs. People received their medicines in a safe way. People were protected from abuse and neglect. People's care plans and risk assessments were clear and up to date.

Right care: People received good quality person-centred care that promoted their dignity, privacy and human rights. There was a strong person-centred culture within the staff team. Positive behaviour support plans had been developed for people, to understand the reasons for their behaviour, and provide guidance for staff to ensure consistent approaches were used when supporting people.

Staff knew people well and demonstrated an understanding of people's individual care, behavioural and communication needs. This helped ensure people's views were heard and their diverse needs met.

Right culture: People were supported by staff where the ethos, values, and attitudes of management and care staff ensured people led confident, inclusive and empowered lives. Staff created an environment that inspired people to understand and achieve their goals and ambitions.