Edenvale Care Limited

Updated 14 February 2019

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 inspection took place on 18 December 2018 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The inspection team consisted of two inspectors and an expert by experience. 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 we visited the service we checked the information we held about the service and the service provider. This included any notifications and safeguarding alerts. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send us by law. The inspection was informed by feedback from professionals which included the local borough contracts and commissioning team that had placed people with the service, the local borough safeguarding adult’s team, community professional and health and social care professionals. We reviewed the 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 our inspection spoke with two people who used the service and 15 relatives. We also spoke with the registered manager, service development manager, the clinical lead, direct care manager, human resources manager, team co-ordinator and four support workers. We looked at six care files which included care plans and risk assessments, five staff files which included supervision records, and recruitment records, quality assurance records, medicine records, training information, and policies and procedures.

Updated 14 February 2019

The inspection took place on 18 December 2018. This was an announced inspection. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location provides a domiciliary care service and we needed to be sure that someone would be in. The service was last inspected in May 2016 where it was rated Good .

Edenvale Care Limited provides care and support to approximately 47 people in their own homes and in a number of supported living projects. The majority of people using the service had a learning disability. The majority of the personal care and supported living services are provided in the London Borough of Enfield. Supported living services were also being provided in the London Borough of Haringey. 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.

The service had been developed and designed prior to the development of the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values included choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. However, we saw that people with learning disabilities who used the service were able to live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 was exceptionally caring. Care staff knew the importance of developing good working relationships with the people they looked after and ensured they provided person centred care based on their specific needs. The feedback we received from people, and their relatives, and health and social care professionals was overwhelmingly positive. Care plans contained detailed information about people’s interests, family life and life history. The service had helped people achieve their dreams and aspirations. The service promoted people to live as independently as possible at home and accessing the community. The service worked with other agencies to support people to be safe in the community. People were supported by a team of regular staff that they knew and who they said were kind and caring. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

Staff were employed in sufficient numbers to meet people's needs and to keep them safe. Staff teams were organised in a way that helped ensure consistency. Each person had a designated team of staff who they were familiar with and had formed strong and trusting relationships. Any changes to staffing were communicated clearly to people and relatives to ensure people remained safe and comfortable in their homes.

The service actively involved people who used the service and their relatives in the recruitment process and in staff training. Staff members were recruited and trained to meet people's specific care needs we saw that care teams were highly reflective of the shared interests, backgrounds and beliefs of the people who they supported. This approach was firmly underpinned by the culture of the service, which we established was positive, person centred, inclusive and forward thinking.

People were valued and supported to be as independent as possible. People's rights were upheld, consent was always sought before any support was given. Staff were aware of the legislation that ensured people were protected in respect of decision making and any restrictions and how this impacted on their day to day roles. Staff strongly advocated for people to live the life they wanted whether that was on their own or in supported living schemes.

We spoke with a range of people who used the service, relatives, health and social care professionals and staff who all felt this was an excellent service. People described a caring and resourceful staff team who respected individual's dignity, privacy, views and choices. In their feedback people particularly highlighted the quality of their relationships with their care team and they told us they valued the continuity of their care and the reassurance this provided. People's feedback was actively sought and people who used the service, families and staff were all encouraged to share their views and contribute ideas on how their care could be enhanced.

People received their medicines safely. People's support plans clearly described the level of support required and how this support should be delivered. Staff who administered medicines had received up to date training, and competency checks were completed to help ensure their skills and knowledge remained sufficient and up to date.

Detailed, comprehensive care plans and risk assessments were in place and we found that the provider worked collaboratively with staff from other agencies to minimise identified risks.

The service had a complaints procedure in place and we found that complaints were investigated and where possible resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant. The service was particularly skilled at helping people and their families to explore and record their wishes about care at the end of their life, and to plan how they will be met so that they feel consulted, empowered, listened to, and valued.

The organisation's values and philosophy were clearly explained to staff and there was a positive culture where people and their relatives felt included and their views were sought. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the care and continually making improvements by listening to people.