Working in partnership with Independence and Wellbeing Enfield to evaluate their wellbeing services
Independence and Wellbeing Enfield, a trading company of Enfield Council, provides adult social care services including three day centres (the Formont, New Options, and Rose Taylor) as well as a drop in resource centre Park Avenue and Community Link, for individuals with learning difficulties, physical and sensory impairments, complex needs and those who are elderly. Healthwatch Enfield worked with service users, their carers and staff at Independence and Wellbeing Enfield to evaluate the quality of services on offer to the people of Enfield.
We were delighted to be asked by Independence and Wellbeing Enfield to explore the experiences of service users and carers.
Key findings
Throughout our review process, we observed that the services appear to be well run and managed; all staff appeared caring, friendly and the majority demonstrated a good understanding of the individual’s likes, preferences and ways of communicating.
Through listening to service user’s feedback, as well as our own observations, we noted the services deliver quality social and leisure opportunities for individuals to engage and make friendships, offering care and support.
We recommend that Independence and Wellbeing staff and leaders positively engage with suggestions put forward by service users and carers and work with them to co-design solutions to make services at Community Link, Formont, New Options, Rose Taylor, as well as the Park Avenue resource centre even better.
At Formont and New Options, service users shared their concerns that the centres may operate within a set structure, a model where timetables can be followed too rigorously, without enough flexibility to take account of individual preferences. This was substantiated by observations made by Healthwatch Enfield’s representatives who visited the centres. In addition, the quality of support being provided at New Options appears to be affected by the current staffing levels at the centre.
This will require utilising creative ways to engage service users and carers in conversations about changes and may necessitate developing new skills within the existing staff team.
