We undertook an announced inspection of Enable Health Ltd on 5 April 2018.Enable Health provides personal care services to people in their own homes. Enable Health is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own houses and flats in the community [and specialist housing]. It provides a service to older adults, younger disabled adults, and children. At the time of our inspection 21 people were receiving a personal care service.
We had previously carried out an announced comprehensive inspection of this service on 7 September 2017 where we identified a number of areas where improvements were needed to ensure that people were receiving care that was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.
We found the service to be in continuing breach of four regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 following on from an inspection conducted on 20 February 2017 where the service was placed in special measures.
People were not supported in line with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The provider did not provide care and treatment in a safe way. Risks to people were not assessed and regularly reviewed and medicines were not safely managed. The provider did not have effective systems in place to monitor and improve the service and staff did not always receive effective support. People were not always supported to receive support from healthcare professionals. Following the inspection on 7 September 2017 we imposed a condition on the provider's registration to restrict new care packages. The condition on the provider's registration to require them to provide monthly reports of action they were taking, through their quality assurance systems, to address the concerns following the inspection on 20 February 2017 remained in place.
We undertook this inspection to check the service had made the required improvements from the inspection in September 2017.
We found the service had made significant improvements. Staff demonstrated an understanding of the MCA and how they applied its principles in their work. However, there was still room for further development. We discussed the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005 with the provider who demonstrated a knowledge of the Act but was also unclear on some aspects of the Act. We found people’s rights in relation to the act were protected.
Where risks to people had been identified risk assessments were in place and action had been taken to manage the risks. Staff were aware of people’s needs and followed guidance to keep them safe.
People were supported to access health professionals when needed and staff worked closely with people's GPs to ensure their health and well-being was monitored.
The provider monitored the quality of the service and strived for continuous improvement. There was a clear vision to deliver high quality care and support and promote a positive culture that was person-centred, open and inclusive. This achieved positive outcomes for people and contributed to their quality of life. The provider was supported by an external consultant.
Staff received effective support through supervision, spot checks and training. Staff training plans were monitored and up to date.
There was not a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run. The head of HR (human resources) was applying to become registered manager.
People’s nutritional needs were met and where people required support with nutrition care plans provided staff with guidance on people’s support needs. People received their medicine as prescribed.
People told us they benefitted from caring relationships with the staff. There were sufficient staff to meet people’s needs and people received their care when they expected. Staffing levels and visit schedules were consistently maintained. The service had safe, robust recruitment processes.
People were safe. Staff understood their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. Staff had received regular training to make sure they stayed up to date with recognising and reporting safety concerns. The service had systems in place to notify the appropriate authorities where concerns were identified.
People were treated as individuals by staff committed to respecting people’s individual preferences. The service’s diversity policy supported this culture. Care plans were person centred and people had been actively involved in developing their support plans.
People told us they were confident they would be listened to and action would be taken if they raised a concern. We saw a complaints policy and procedure was in place. The service had systems to assess the quality of the service provided. Learning was identified and action taken to make improvements which enhanced people’s safety and quality of life. Systems were in place that ensured people were protected against the risks of unsafe or inappropriate care.
This service has been in Special Measures. Services that are in Special Measures are kept under review and inspected again within six months. We expect services to make significant improvements within this timeframe. During this inspection the service demonstrated to us that improvements have been made and is no longer rated as inadequate overall or in any of the key questions. Therefore, this service is now out of Special Measures.