Enfield Shared Lives Scheme

Updated 20 July 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

One inspector carried out this inspection.

Service and service type

Enfield Shared Lives Scheme is a shared lives scheme. They recruit, train and support self-employed shared lives carers who offer accommodation and support arrangements for vulnerable adults within their own family homes in the community.

Registered Manager

This service is required to have a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. 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 in the office to support the inspection.

Inspection activity started on 22 June and ended on 30 June 2022. We visited the provider's office on 22 June 2022.

What we did before the inspection

In planning our inspection, we reviewed information we had received about the service. This included any notifications (events which happened in the service that the provider is required to tell us about) and feedback from the local authority and commissioners.

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with the registered manager and one of the adult placement officers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included two people's care records and risk assessments. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff training. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits and policy documentation.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the management team to validate evidence found. We received feedback from three people who used the service, one of whom did not receive regulated care, and two shared lives carers’. Two health and social care professionals provided feedback on the service.

Updated 20 July 2022

About the service

On 30 October 2020 the provider changed its name and legal entity from Independence and Wellbeing Enfield Limited to London Borough of Enfield. This is the service's first comprehensive inspection under the new provider registration.

Enfield Shared Lives Scheme is a shared lives scheme which provides people with long-term placements, short breaks and respite care, within shared lives carers’ own homes. People who use the service may have learning/physical disabilities, mental health needs, be older people or young people leaving care.

Not everyone using the service receives a 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. On the day of the inspection there were two people using the regulated service, both of whom had a learning disability.

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.

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

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. The model of care was embedded in the service, with person centred care provided. Shared lives carers’ were able to tell us how they supported people to live inclusive and empowered lives.

Right Support

People using the service and their hared lives carers’ spoke positively about the scheme. People told us Shared lives carers’ were kind and they felt safe. Shared lives carers’ told us they received appropriate training and support to do their role effectively.

The management and support team had undergone changes in the last 12 months, and were establishing more robust systems to capture management information.

Right Care

Care records were person centred and highlighted people’s abilities as well as needs. The management team took time to match staff with the people they supported.

People were supported to live in family homes; they told us they felt safe and enjoyed living there.

The management team promoted a person-centred culture within the service. People’s care and support was very kind and caring. People and their relatives were encouraged to provide feedback about the service they received, so any improvements could be identified.

People had support to take medicines and prepare their meals and drinks where they needed this.

Recruitment of shared lives carers’ was safe, and people accessed other support services , including day services, hobbies and volunteering opportunities.

Right culture

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

The management team reviewed any accidents or incidents involving people who used the service, in order to learn from these.

The service had quality assurance systems and processes in place to enable them to monitor and improve people's care. They welcomed any form of external and internal auditing and feedback received was treated as an opportunity to reflect and further improve the quality of the service for people.

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

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for the service Independence and Well Being Enfield Limited Adult Placement Scheme located at St Andrews Court 1-4 River Front Enfield Middlesex EN1 3SY was Good, published on 8 October 2018.

Why we inspected

We inspected this service because it has not had an inspection since the new registration and does not have a rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.