We carried out a review of the data available to us about Kent Enablement at Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Kent Enablement at Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Kent Enablement at Home is a domiciliary care agency which provides an enablement service to people in their own homes for a period of up to six weeks. The service offers support to encourage and enable people to live independently at home, often following a stay in hospital. The support is provided for a range of people including people with physical disabilities and dementia. Not everyone using Kent Enablement at Home receives a regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’; help with tasks related to personal hygiene. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. The service operates in the Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Maidstone and Malling area. At the time of the inspection there were approximately 150 people using the service.
The service had 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.
Rating at last inspection
At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.
Why the service is rated good.
Suitable processes were in place to keep people safe from different types of abuse. When risks to people or the environment were identified, staff took action to minimise them. There were enough staff to meet people's needs and those staff were recruited safely. People were supported with their medicines in a safe way. People were protected by the prevention and control of infection. Lessons were learned when things went wrong.
Each person’s needs were assessed before their service began. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to meet these needs. People were supported to lead healthier lives and had timely access to healthcare services. People were supported to drink and eat enough to maintain a balanced diet. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.
People were treated with kindness and compassion. People were supported to express their views and be actively involved in making decisions about their care and support. People were encouraged to be as independent as they could be. People’s dignity and privacy was respected. People’s personal information was kept private.
People received person-centred care that was responsive to their needs. People knew how to complain and complaints were responded to in line with the service’s policies and procedures. Staff knew how to identify people who might be coming to the end of their life.
Staff said the service was open, transparent and that they felt supported by their managers. There were audits in place which checked the quality of the service being provided. Staff were involved in developing the service. The registered manager had developed links with the local community.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
Kent Enablement at Home (KEaH) is part of the Social Care, Health and Wellbeing Directorate of Kent County Council. It is the in-house provider for support at home for older people and adults with a physical disability. The service has been designed for people who need support to regain their independence after a medical or social crisis. The service provides time limited support to people in their own home, for a period of three weeks initially. The service supports people who have been discharged from hospital, or those referred who live in their own home. Support provided includes help with day to day tasks like cooking, shopping, washing and dressing and help to maintain their health and wellbeing. There were 160 people using the service at the time of our inspection, living in the areas of Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks, Maidstone and surrounding areas. People were funded through Kent County Council Social Services.
There was a registered manager employed at the service. He was also the operations manager of the service and covered the five registered locations, providing a similar service in other areas of Kent. 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 registered manager and staff had received training about the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and understood when and how to support peoples best interest if they lacked capacity to make certain decisions about their care.
Staff had received training about protecting people from abuse and showed a good understanding of what their responsibilities were in preventing abuse. They were confident that they could raise any matters of concern with the registered manager, or the local authority safeguarding team.
The service provided sufficient numbers of staff to meet people’s needs and provide a flexible service. The service had robust recruitment practices in place. Applicants were assessed as suitable for their job roles. All staff received induction training which included essential subjects such as maintaining confidentiality, moving and handling, safeguarding adults and infection control. They worked alongside experienced staff and had their competency assessed before they were allowed to work on their own. Refresher training was provided at regular intervals. Staff had been trained to administer medicines safely and staff spoke confidently about their skills and abilities to do this well.
Working in community settings staff often had to work on their own, but they were provided with good support and an ‘Outside Office Hours’ number to call during evenings and at weekends if they had concerns about people. The service could continue to run in the event of emergencies arising so that people’s care would continue. For example, when there was heavy snow or if there was a power failure at the main office.
People’s needs were assessed and care and support was planned to maintain people’s safety, health and well-being. Risks were assessed by staff to protect people. People told us that staff discussed their care with them so that they could decide how it would be delivered. Care plans were kept reviewed and updated.
People spoke about the staff in a positive light regarding their feelings of being safe and well cared for. They thought that staff were caring and compassionate.
There were policies in place which ensured people would be listened to and treated fairly if they complained. The registered manager ensured that people’s care met their most up to date needs and any issues raised were dealt with to people’s satisfaction.
People were happy with the leadership and approachability of the service’s registered manager. Staff felt well supported by managers. Audits were effective and risks were monitored by the registered manager to keep people safe. There were systems in place to monitor incidents and accidents.