East Ayrshire housing support service grades unveiled after inspection

It follows a spot check on care provision by the Care Inspectorate in July with their findings now published.

A housing support service has been given the thumbs-up following an unannounced spot check.

Enable Scotland (Leading the Way) East Ayrshire Housing Support Service, was graded ‘good’ against the quality indicator relating to how well it supported people’s wellbeing.

It follows a spot check on care provision by the Care Inspectorate in July with their findings now published.

Among the key messages the Care Inspectorate said people benefited from personalised care and support that “promoted positive health and wellbeing outcomes.”

And “consistent” staff teams developed “trusted relationships” with people who used the service and their families.

In addition, support planning was “person-centred, regularly reviewed and responsive” to changing needs.

The positives continued; staff worked effectively with health and social care professionals to promote wellbeing and “achieve positive outcomes.”

And people were supported to maintain relationships, participate in their communities and “lead fulfilling lives.”

The service also had “effective arrangements” to support people’s safety, with opportunities to strengthen aspects of quality assurance.

Enable Scotland (Leading the Way), based on Tannock Street, Kilmarnock, is registered as a housing support service and care at home service. The provider is Enable Scotland (Leading the Way). At the time of inspection, the service provided support to 64 adults across East Ayrshire.

An extract from the report said: “People experienced positive health and wellbeing outcomes as a result of the care and support they received. The service was committed to delivering personalised support that reflected people’s assessed needs, preferences and aspirations. Support plans were detailed, person-centred and regularly reviewed, providing staff with clear guidance to deliver consistent and responsive support that met people’s changing needs.”

A “significant strength” of the service was its approach to matching personal assistants with the people they supported.

The report says: “People benefited from consistent support from familiar staff who knew them well and understood their individual needs and preferences. Feedback from people and their families highlighted the positive impact these trusted relationships had on wellbeing and quality of life.”

People and, where appropriate, their families were “involved” in reviewing care and support and “felt listened to” by the service.

Although some relatives described reduced contact with managers during periods of management vacancy, they remained “highly positive” about the quality of support provided and the relationships they had developed with staff.

The report adds: “Overall, people experienced positive outcomes from care and support that was personalised, responsive and focused on what mattered to them. Skilled and consistent staff promoted people’s health, wellbeing and independence, helping them achieve meaningful outcomes and maintain a good quality of life. Areas for improvement were limited and did not significantly detract from people’s experiences.”