This inspection took place on 25 September, 1, 3 and 4 of October 2018 and was announced. We told the provider one day before our visit that we would be inspecting their service. This was to ensure they would be available at the office to provide us with the necessary information we needed to carry out the inspection. This was the first time this service was inspected under their new registration.

Community enablement service consists of two distinct service types: reablement service and shared lives scheme, provided by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. 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. The provider told us that everyone using the service was being supported with ‘personal care.’

The reablement service provided an enablement service to people in their own homes for a period of up to six weeks. The service offered support to encourage and enable people to live independently at home, often following a stay in hospital. The service also provided short term personal care support as a last resort for people that required domiciliary services while a private provided was being sourced. At the time of our inspection, 48 people were receiving the reablement service.

'Shared lives' is an arrangement whereby people either live or spend time with self-employed care providers who support them according to their assessed needs in a family environment. People receiving services from shared lives have the opportunity to live an ordinary life as part of the care provider's family. Placements can be long-term with the adult living with the care provider as part of their family, or as a respite care, day care or hourly sessional support. The shared lives service was providing support to adults and young adults with learning and physical disabilities, autism and mental health conditions. At the time of our inspection there were 189 people using the service; 54 of these were in a long-term placement. The service had 72 approved shared lives care providers who were supported by six office based shared lives officers.

There were two registered managers in place; one responsible for the reablement service and the other for the shared lives service. 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.’

This report covers both the reablement and shared lives services.

The registered provider wasn’t fully working within the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). The registered managers, staff and care providers were aware of the principles of the MCA and how to apply it in practice. However, the service was not routinely completing decision specific mental capacity assessments relevant to the care being delivered and was reliant on assessments from other professionals. We also saw examples of documentation being signed by people without the legal authorisation to do so. There was no evidence people were being restricted or receiving care that was not in their best interests. The service was in contact with adult social services in relation to considering if some people required an application to the Court of Protection in relation to being deprived of their liberty as part of their care arrangements. We have made a recommendation for the provider to seek advice from a reputable source to work in line with the MCA.

Risks to people’s care were identified and managed appropriately. Staff and care providers were knowledgeable about those risks and how to manage them. However, some documentation related to people’s risks and needs lacked detail to evidence the care being provi