ENeRGI Housing Support Service

Transcription

1 ENeRGI Housing Support Service 32 East Street St. Monans Anstruther KY10 2AT Telephone: Type of inspection: Announced (short notice) Inspection completed on: 10 July 2017 Service provided by: East Neuk Recovery Group Initiative Service provider number: SP Care service number: CS

2 About the service ENeRGI is a housing support service based in the East Neuk of Fife, with its main base located in the small town of St. Monans. It provides a housing support service to people who are experiencing mental health difficulties, physical disabilities and people at risk of homelessness due to substance misuse. ENeRGI provides a range of support, including benefits advice, support to maintain tenancies and advice and guidance in relation to 'Self Directed Support'. What people told us People who used the service, relatives and carers were very positive about the support that they received. They said: 'I find it really difficult to get out, they come to me' 'My support worker helps me to see the positives and not so much of the negatives' 'Very good, no complaints' 'I am invited to the Annual General Meeting, but I prefer not to attend these meetings' 'I think they do an excellent job' 'They send me a questionnaire every year about the service' 'I usually get the same worker, the service always lets me know if they have to send someone else' 'Always very helpful' Relatives said: 'Its helped my relative no end, its really boosted her moral, and helped her depression' 'I think they are very good' 'My relative had a lot of different support workers and it upset her, but things have settled now' 'I've been very pleased with the care my relative receives' Staff said: 'We get regular supervision and reflective practice time with the manager' 'I love this job, no two days are the same' 'The service needs a bit more organisation, a 21st century boost in respect of IT' 'I find it challenging, but I have enjoyed seeing the service grow' 'There has been quite a lot of new staff, so training has taken a back seat' 'We get weekly staff meetings' 'I love my job, have worked here for 15 years' Self assessment The service had not been asked to complete a self-assessment in advance of the inspection. We looked at their own improvement plan and quality assurance paperwork. These demonstrated their priorities for development and how they were monitoring of the quality of the provision within the service. page 2 of 6

3 From this inspection we graded this service as: Quality of care and support Quality of staffing Quality of management and leadership 5 - Very Good not assessed 3 - Adequate What the service does well The people who used ENeRGI and their carers, spoke very highly of the service and the positive outcomes they were achieving. One person told us, 'I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for this service, they are great'. Others said, 'the service is very good', 'absolutely amazing', and 'they are so kind and on the end of the phone at any time'. People who used the service, relatives and carers told us that the service had a flexible approach to how it met service user outcomes, which were defined by the people who used the service. People told us; 'they help my relative with whatever he needs and wants to do'. There was relevant training available for staff and a clear plan in place for what must be completed during induction such as; food hygiene, first aid and adult protection. Other courses were available for staff from NHS and the local authority. The manager had completed a trainer's course on 'Good Conversations' and all staff received this training in house. Staff told us that they were supported to attend training of interest to them, and one of the coordinators planned to start a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) 4 in the coming year. We saw that staff were enthusiastic about the service they provided. They said; 'I like the support team, they are all very supportive', and 'this service is really flexible, we work with what people are able to do on the day.' The manager was aware of the upcoming Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) registration requirements pertaining to housing support services and had plans in place to ensure that all of the staff could meet registration conditions within the time specified. Most of the staff already held qualifications necessary for registration with the SSSC. The service had gone through a recent period of staff losses, however despite these difficulties, had managed to provide consistent support to most service users. People told us that; 'I get the same carer every time', and 'I couldn't manage if I got different support workers'. There was evidence within the support plans that the service engaged appropriately with professionals from mental health services, GPs and with social services. This assisted staff and people who used the service to identify outcomes that they wanted to achieve. The support plans clearly set out the outcomes that people had identified, and how the service would support people to achieve them. page 3 of 6

4 What the service could do better We found that support files for service users lacked consistency and other essential support information such as when reviews were held. We found that some people had not had a review for over a year. Whilst we recognised that formal reviews can be difficult for some service users, we found that the service could have explored other ways to capture review information. It is essential that services hold regular reviews to ensure that people who use the service are achieving outcomes identified in support plans, and that any changes necessary are implemented. See recommendation 1. The service had unfortunately suffered recent difficulties regarding staff retention over a period of several months. Additional staff had been recruited from March to June 2017, however not all of these new members of staff had been recruited according to current safe recruitment guidance and legislation. This had the potential to put service users at risk. See requirement 1. Although we could see that audits of the support files had been carried out; we found that this had not picked up on all of the issues that we identified during our inspection. We discussed how this could be improved and shared with other staff members. This would ensure that all staff understood the required standards, and understood their role in maintaining these. It was acknowledged that these issues may have occurred as a result of pressures to meet service user outcomes during periods of lower staffing levels. The manager had already put in place an action plan of improvements, before the end of the inspection. The manager was confident that now that the service had a full staff team that all the concerns identified would be dealt within a short time frame. Requirements Number of requirements: 1 1. The provider should ensure that when it recruits staff, it follows the guidance in "Safer Recruitment Through Better Recruitment" (Scottish Government, 2016). This will help to ensure that all staff who are employed in the care home are fit to work with vulnerable people. This is in order to comply with: The Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Requirements for Care Services) Regulations 2011(SSI 2011/210)Regulation (9) - fitness of employees Recommendations Number of recommendations: 1 1. The service should ensure that when a review has been delayed or refused, that this is clearly recorded. In addition that alternative ways of capturing review information is considered in consultation with people who use the service and recorded in support plans. This is in order to comply with: National Care Standards - Housing Support Services - Support Planning (4) page 4 of 6

5 Complaints There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at Inspection and grading history Date Type Gradings 24 Jul 2015 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good 6 Jun 2013 Unannounced Care and support 28 Jun 2011 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good 18 Sep 2009 Announced Care and support 4 - Good 2 May 2008 Announced Care and support page 5 of 6

6 To find out more This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website. Care services in Scotland cannot operate unless they are registered with the Care Inspectorate. We inspect, award grades and help services to improve. We also investigate complaints about care services and can take action when things aren't good enough. Please get in touch with us if you would like more information or have any concerns about a care service. You can also read more about our work online at Contact us Care Inspectorate Compass House 11 Riverside Drive Dundee DD1 4NY enquiries@careinspectorate.com Find us on Facebook Other languages and formats This report is available in other languages and formats on request. Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas. page 6 of 6