London Borough of Ealing Reablement Service

The Reablement Service is run by the London Borough of Ealing. It provides short term packages of support to adults of all ages, usually following discharge from hospital, and also where a concern to someone’s welfare had been identified. It is registered for the regulated activity of personal care. At the time of inspection 80 people were using the service.

At the last inspection, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

People felt safe, were safeguarded from the risk of abuse and staff knew the action to take if they had any concerns. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and recruitment procedures were followed to ensure only suitable staff were employed. Risks were assessed and identified so action could be taken to minimise them. Infection control protocols were being followed. Staff received training so they could support people to manage their medicines safely. The provider was open to learning from events to improve practice.

People were assessed and a plan put in place to meet their needs and promote and regain their independence. Staff undertook recognised training in health and social care and received ongoing training to provide them with the skills and knowledge to care for people effectively. People received any support they required with food and drink and they were also supported to access healthcare services if required. 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 and relatives were happy with the care and support people received. Staff were friendly and respectful, maintaining people’s privacy and dignity. Staff understood people’s individual care and support needs and worked with them to meet these. People’s religious and cultural needs were identified so they could be respected.

Care records were clear and person centred and people were reviewed at two weekly intervals to monitor their progress and review the care and support they required accordingly. People were given copies of the complaints procedure and said they would feel able to raise a concern if they had one. There had been no complaints since the last inspection and the service received many compliments from people who had used the service.

The manager was experienced and with the team leaders followed processes to ensure the service was being managed effectively. The provider was actively recruiting for a permanent manager to register with the Care Quality Commission. Monitoring processes were in place and being followed to maintain a good standard of service provision.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plan. The registered manager of the reablement service told us that she was, 'Passionate about dignity in care.' This was further evidenced in the proposed document that the service is planning to use entitled, 'Dignity in care Reablement Service Scored Audit Workbook.' This is a tool to evaluate the service provided to people who use the reablement service. There are seven domains assessed by using observation, discussion with the people who used the service, spot checks, risk assessments, daily visit records and the communication folder.

People's health, safety and welfare was protected when more than one provider was involved in their care and treatment, or when they moved between different services. This was because the provider worked in co-operation with others. When people who used the service transferred from reablement to other domiciliary care providers we saw that a reablement review document was available to inform the future provider of the care support required.

There were effective recruitment and selection processes in place with an extensive 'Recruitment and Selection Guidelines' document and a recruitment team appointments checklist. The checklist covered several areas pertaining to recruitment of staff including checks on staff suitability to work with vulnerable people.

People were made aware of the complaints system. This was provided in a format that met their needs. We saw that a copy of the complaints procedure is included in the information pack given to each person using the service on commencing reablement.

People were given support by the provider to make a comment or complaint where they needed assistance. One person who had used the reablement service told us that, 'they gave me a booklet and showed me the form to use if I wanted to make a complaint.'