We carried out a review of the data available to us about Brockwell Care 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 Brockwell Care, you can give feedback on this service.
Brockwell Care is a domiciliary care agency providing care and support to people in their own homes and flats.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection 4 younger people using the service with complex care needs, were receiving personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
A safe service was provided for people. There were enough appropriately recruited staff employed to meet people’s needs. This meant people were supported to enjoy their lives and live safely. People had any risks to them assessed, monitored and recorded by the registered manager and staff who updated records as required. Accidents, incidents and safeguarding concerns were reported, investigated and recorded appropriately. Medicines were safely administered. Infection control procedures were followed.
The provider’s culture was open, responsive, positive and there was an identified management structure. The provider had a clearly defined vision and values that staff understood, followed and they were aware of their responsibilities and accountability. Staff were prepared to raise concerns they may have with the provider and take responsibility for their own conduct. The quality of the service provided was regularly reviewed, and any required changes made to improve the care and support people received. This was in a manner that best suited people. The provider had established effective professional working relationships that promoted the needs of people outside its remit. Registration requirements were met.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 28 February 2019).
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection to check whether the service was continuing to provide a good rated service to people.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.
The overall rating for the service remains Good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Brockwell Care on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
¿ Brockwell Gate is a domiciliary care service providing care and support to people in their own homes. At the time of the inspection there were two people using the service, both were young adults with complex care needs.
People’s experience of using this service:
¿ Relatives of people using the service told us that care workers were friendly and cared for their family members in a positive way. They said they had no concerns about the safety or well-being of their family members in the presence of care workers.
¿ People received a consistent level of care from a team of regular care workers. There were enough staff employed to meet people’s needs
¿ Risks to people were managed in a way that kept them as safe as possible. Risk management guidelines were in place to help care workers when supporting people.
¿ Relatives did not raise any concerns about food, hydration or general health support.
¿ Staff were trained to administer medicines and they did so in a safe manner, completing appropriate records which were checked.
¿ The provider arranged training for staff that met the needs of people using the service. They were assessed for their competency which helped to ensure they were safe to work with people.
¿ Care plans were individual and met the needs of people using the service. They included people’s preferences and those of their relatives and met the needs of people. They were person centred and included ways in which staff could support people emotionally and the activities they enjoyed.
¿ No formal complaints had been received from people or their relatives. People were issued with a service user guide that told them how to make a complaint if they were unhappy.
¿ Feedback from relatives and staff was that the service was well-led. They told us the managers were always available to speak with.
¿ Quality assurance checks such as audits of medicines records and other records were carried out. The managers kept in regular contact with relatives to ensure they were happy with the care provided.
¿ The service met the characteristics for a rating of “Good” in all the key questions we inspected. Therefore, our overall rating for the service after this inspection was “Good”.
¿ More information is in our full report.
Rating at last inspection:
¿ At our last inspection, the service was rated “Good”. Our last report was published on 5 October 2016. 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.
Why we inspected:
¿ This inspection was part of our scheduled plan of visiting services to check the safety and quality of care people received.
Follow up:
¿ We will continue to monitor the service to ensure that people receive safe, compassionate, high quality care. Further inspections will be planned for future dates a per our re-inspection plan.
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.
The provider had safeguarding processes in place and staff had an awareness of how to protect people against the risk of harm and abuse. Staff knew how to manage an allegation of abuse and were able to describe local safeguarding procedures. The provider’s safeguarding policy gave staff guidance on how to protect people from abuse.
Staff identified risks to people and plans were put in place to monitor and manage them. To reduce the recurrence of risks a management plan was used by staff to enable them to support people safely.
People did not need support to take their medicines. Staff we spoke with had an awareness of the appropriate and safe management of medicines. The registered manager had audits systems in place to check the accuracy of medicine administration records (MAR) to detect and act on errors.
People were cared for by sufficient numbers of staff to meet their needs. Staff had a weekly work rota that held the details of people they were providing care to. Recruitment processes in place ensured the employment of suitably skilled staff to work safely with people. The registered manager carried out appropriate checks before staff worked with people.
Staff had the relevant skills, experience and knowledge to support people. The registered manager arranged support for staff. Staff received regular supervision, appraisal, and training to support them in their caring roles. The registered provider had a training programme and systems in place to ensure staff completed all mandatory training.
The registered provider had an understanding of their responsibilities under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Consent was sought from staff while supporting people, staff encouraged them to make choices and decisions about the way they wanted to be cared for.
Staff carried out shopping tasks and supported people to prepare meals for themselves on a regular basis. This met people’s food and drink preferences.
Staff supported people to access health care services through supporting them to make appointments and attend with people as required.
People and their relatives had an opportunity to make decisions about how they received care. The registered manager had a system in place to empower people to be involved in taking decisions and in making informed care choices. People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff which respected and promoted their dignity whilst maintaining their privacy.
People had assessments of their needs completed and they were encouraged to contribute to them. The registered provider had systems in place to ensure people had regular reviews of their care needs. People were cared for by staff who knew them, their likes and dislikes and how they wished to receive support and cared .
The registered provider had a process in place that supported people to complain about the service or aspects of their care if they were dissatisfied. Staff provided people with a copy of the complaints procedure that was included in the service user’s handbook.
The registered manager demonstrated clear leadership within the service. The registered manager and registered provider maintained an overview of the service because they were involved in the daily arrangements for the delivery of care.
The registered manager informed CQC of incidents that occurred at the service that required notifying.
The provider had a system in place for people to give feedback on the service. People and their relatives had opportunities to give their views about the quality of care. The registered manager monitored, reviewed and made improvements to the service delivery and quality of care.