Archived: Brett Vale Residential Homes Limited

Brett Vale is a residential care home providing personal care to 10 adults who have a learning disability and or autism.

The accommodation was in a rural setting with extensive grounds. Each person had their own room with en-suite and they shared large communal facilities if they chose to.

The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People lived in well maintained and appropriate accommodation that enabled them to live a lifestyle of their choosing. People had a choice about how they lived their life. There were facilities such as a hot tub and plenty of activities to be involved with and extensive grounds and local countryside to explore with staff support. Some people attended local day services.

There were appropriate staff numbers to enable people to maximise their potential. Staff were well trained and supported. There were good communication systems in place that enabled them to know how people needed to be supported on that day. Staff knew how to support people with distressed behaviour and were given suitable training. Staff knew people well and had developed positive relationships and people told us they were happy to live at Brett Vale.

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. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

There were good quality monitoring processes in place. The owner of the service had good oversight.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was good (published on 28 February 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Brett Vale on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

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.

People received care and support that was personalised to them and met their individual needs and wishes. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and interacted with people in a caring, compassionate and professional manner. They were knowledgeable about people’s choices, views and preferences. The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming with people proudly showing us around their home.

People were safe and staff knew what actions to take to protect them from abuse. The provider had processes in place to identify and manage risk. Assessments had been carried out and care records were in place which reflected individual needs and preferences.

Recruitment checks on staff were carried out with sufficient numbers employed who had the knowledge and skills to meet people’s needs.

Appropriate arrangements were in place to ensure people’s medicines were obtained, stored and administered safely. People were encouraged to attend appointments with other health care professionals to maintain their health and well-being. Where people required assistance with their dietary needs there were systems in place to provide this support safely.

People and or their representatives, where appropriate, were involved in making decisions about their care and support arrangements. As a result people received care and support which was planned and delivered to meet their specific needs. Staff listened to people and acted on what they said.

The service was meeting the requirements of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff understood the need to obtain consent when providing care. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Consideration had been given to maintaining relationships that were important to people. They were supported with regular opportunities to participate in activities outside the service and to sustain links within their local community.

There was a complaints procedure in place and people knew how to voice their concerns if they were unhappy with the care they received. People’s feedback was valued and acted on. There was visible leadership within the service and a clear management structure. The service had a quality assurance system with identified shortfalls addressed promptly which helped the service to continually improve.

.

The accommodation was appropriately designed and suitable to meet the needs of the people living there and risks within the service had been assessed. The service was clean and was personalised to the people who lived there.

We saw that support plans and risk assessments were informative and up to date. Staff were aware of their contents, which enabled them to deliver appropriate and safe care. The provider had systems in place that ensured the safe receipt, storage, administration and recording of medicines. Staff recruitment, induction and training systems were robust.

We spoke with three members of care staff. Staff spoken with said they felt there was enough staff to meet the needs of the people who used the service. They demonstrated their knowledge of the individual needs of the people they supported.

We observed that the staff interacted with people in a friendly, respectful manner and were attentive to people's needs.

We viewed care records including care plans. Records were complete, up to date and regularly reviewed.