Enablement Care Supported Living Services

Updated 8 September 2021

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

The service provides care and support to people living in three ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. 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.

Notice of inspection

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be available to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since they were registered with the CQC. We sought feedback from a commissioning local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection-

We spoke with three people who used the service about their experience of the care and support provided. We spoke with eight members of staff including the registered manager, the director, the human resources and operations manager, two care co-ordinators and three support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included three people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at six staff files in relation to recruitment, training and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We sought feedback from two family members, two health professionals and two further support workers.

Updated 8 September 2021

Enablement Care Supported Living Services provides supports to people with mental health needs and learning disabilities. The service provides support to people living in shared houses in Harrow and Hertfordshire.

When we inspected the service was providing support to up to 12 people living in three shared houses. People had their own bedrooms and shared other facilities including kitchens and living and dining areas. Each house has an office/sleep in room for staff.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People told us they were treated with respect and their support was personalised. They told us staff understood and supported their individual needs and preferences. Staff demonstrated understanding of people’s needs. We observed positive interactions between people and staff.

Systems were in place to protect people from harm or abuse. The service’s safeguarding policies and procedures were supported by training for staff. People had personalised risk assessments to ensure they remained safe whilst maintaining their independence.

Appropriate infection control procedures were in place. Staff had received training in infection prevention and control and wore masks and other personal protection equipment in a suitable way. Regular COVID-19 testing was provided to people and staff.

Where people required support with their medicines this was provided by staff who had received appropriate training and whose competency in administering medicines had been assessed. People’s medicines were safely stored, recorded correctly and monitored.

The provider ensured that there were enough suitably skilled staff to provide people with the support they needed. Appropriate recruitment processes helped ensure suitable staff were employed to provide support to people using the service. People spoke positively about the support they received from staff.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

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.

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

Right support:

• Model of care and setting maximises people’s choice, control and independence

Right care:

• Care is person-centred and promotes people’s dignity, privacy and human rights

Right culture:

• Ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensure people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives

People with learning disabilities lived in a small, domestic setting and received support from staff who understood their needs and preferences. People’s privacy and dignity was maintained. People were offered choices about what they wished to do. They were provided with support to participate in their preferred activities and maintain relationships with family and friends. The ethos and values of the service supported this approach.

The provider’s quality assurance systems monitored the service provided to people. These included obtaining feedback from people about their satisfaction with the service they received. Improvements to the service were promptly made when needed.

Staff spoke positively about the management of the service and told us they received the training and support they required.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 28/03/2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned comprehensive inspection to review the key questions, Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led and rate this service.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.