Archived: Bramble Close Habilitation Unit

Bramble Close Habilitation Unit is registered to provide accommodation with personal care for four people. There were two people living at the service on the day of our inspection. The service was offering short term care to people to support their rehabilitation after hospital admissions. It had recently started providing a service after a closure of some months.

A registered manager was 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.

Staff were knowledgeable about identifying abuse and how to report it to safeguard people. Recruitment procedures were thorough. Risk management plans were in place to support people to have as much independence as possible while keeping them safe. There were also processes in place to manage any risks in relation to the running of the service.

Medicines were safely managed in line with current guidance to ensure people received their prescribed medicines to meet their needs. People had support to access healthcare professionals and services. People had choices of food and drinks that supported their nutritional or health care needs and their personal preferences.

People were supported by skilled staff who knew them well and were available in sufficient numbers to meet people's needs effectively. People’s dignity and privacy was respected and staff were friendly and caring.

Staff used their training effectively to support people. The deputy manager and staff understood and complied with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff were aware of their role in relation to MCA and DoLS and how to support people so not to place them at risk of being deprived of their liberty.

People were involved in the planning of their care. Care plans included people’s preferences and individual needs so that staff had clear information on how to give people the support that they needed. People confirmed that they received the care they required.

The service was well led; people knew the registered manager and found them and the deputy manager to be approachable and available in the home. People living and working in the service had the opportunity to say how they felt about the home and the service it provided. The provider and registered manager had systems in place to check on the quality and safety of the service provided.

Care and assistance was provided sensitively and appropriately. Staff knew people well and were responsive to their individual needs and requirements.

People's nutritional needs were met. People bought and prepared their own food and support was available if required. One person told us, 'They've shown me how to do cooking and all that.'

There were effective recruitment procedures for new staff at the service.

The deputy manager informed us that they had not received any formal complaints although they had dealt with informal issues as they arose. A member of staff told us, "I've had requests rather than complaints [which I have] taken to the manager." There was an effective complaints system in place at the service.

We found improvements to the content of the care records and to the way they were stored to protect people's confidentiality. We also found that the provider had improved their systems for checking the quality and safety of their service.

People we spoke with told that they felt they did not need group meetings as they were so few people using the service. They also told us that they felt able to raise any issues directly with the staff group should they need to do so, and found they were listened to.