Archived: Adult Placement Scheme

Updated 6 October 2018

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 6 September 2018 and was announced. We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection visit because the location provides adult placements where vulnerable people are living with carers in their own homes. This inspection was predominately office based and we needed to ensure that the registered manager would be available to support with the inspection process.

One inspector carried out this inspection with the support of an expert by experience who made telephone calls and spoke with people and relatives of people using the service. An expert-by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection, we checked for any notifications made to us by the provider and the information we held on our database about the service and provider. Statutory notifications are pieces of information about important events which took place at the service, such as safeguarding incidents, which the provider is required to send to us by law. We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection we spoke with one person. We also spoke with the independence service manager, the registered manager, two adult placement officers and four carers. We looked at four people’s care plans and the recruitment and training records for three carers and one staff member, medicines records and records relating to the management of the service such as audits, policies and procedures.

Updated 6 October 2018

This inspection took place on 6 September 2018 and was announced.

In March 2017 the provider changed its name and legal entity from London Borough of Enfield to Independence and Wellbeing Enfield Limited. This is the service’s first comprehensive inspection under the new provider registration. Under the previous provider registration the service had been inspected in April 2016 and had been rated ‘Good’.

The Adult Placement Scheme arranges for vulnerable people to live with adult placement carers either on a permanent or short term respite basis or in a crisis situation. People who use the service may have learning/physical disabilities, mental health needs, be older people or young people leaving care. On the day of the inspection there were four people using the service.

Not everyone using the Adult Placement Scheme receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided.

A registered manager was in post at the time of this inspection. 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 service identified risks associated with people’s health and social care needs. Risk assessments gave clear guidance and direction to carers on how to support people with managing or mitigating any known risks so that people were supported to be safe and free from harm.

One person told us that they felt safe in their current placement. The service had safeguarding policies in place which were followed appropriately where people were at risk of suspected abuse.

Safe medicine management processes in place which ensured people received their medicines as prescribed.

Carers were recruited to offer a placement within their own home for vulnerable adults requiring support. Carers were not technically employed by the service but once assessed as safe and competent, carers were commissioned to provide a placement.

People’s needs and choices were clearly assessed and documented prior to arranging any type of placement to ensure that the person was appropriately matched with a carer that could effectively meet their needs.

Carers received appropriate support in the form of regular supervision, appraisals and training.

The service worked in partnership with a variety of health and social care professionals to ensure that people received a holistic package of care that supported their health, care and emotional support needs.

People had consented to their care and this had been clearly documented within their care plan. Where people were unable to make specific decisions around their care needs this had been recorded and care had been planned with the involvement of relatives or advocates where appropriate in their best interests.

People receiving care and support had been living with their adult placement carer for a number of years and had built positive and caring relationships based on trust and friendship.

Care plans were very detailed and person centred which provided an in-depth picture of the person, their likes and dislikes and how they wished to be supported.

People received care and support that was tailored to their needs and requirements. Alongside the support they received with their personal care, people were also supported to access a variety of social and community activities and services. With this support people were enabled to lead independent lives and integrate with the community and society.

Clear processes were in place for people to complain about any aspect of their care and support. Records confirmed that all complaints were dealt with according to the provider’s policy.

The registered manager had a number of audit processes in place which allowed the service to have oversight over the quality of service provided to people within their placements. Where issues or concerns were identified, all actions taken to resolve the issue were clearly documented.

People, relatives, professionals and carers were encouraged to give regular feedback through the completion of annual satisfaction surveys, service users meetings and carers meetings.

The service used all information received through monitoring, complaints and feedback to ensure learning and improvements were taken forward so that the service could continue providing a high-quality service.