Archived: Briar House

Briar House is a large semi-detached house, which is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to three people with a learning disability. There were two people living at the home at the time of our inspection both of whom had lived there for 19 years. One person who had limited communication skills was at home during our inspection.

The service had a registered manager in place. 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 registered manager was also the registered the provider who visited the home regularly and was available by telephone at other times. The person carrying out the day-to-day running of the service was the deputy manager who was also registered with us at a second home owned by the provider.

Staff had received training in safeguarding adults. They were able to tell us of the correct action they would take if they witnessed or suspected abuse. There were sufficient staff on duty to meet their needs.

Staff recruitment procedures were sufficiently robust to protect people who used the service from the risks of unsuitable staff being employed.

People’s care records showed that risks to people’s health and well-being had been identified. Systems were in place to deal with any emergency that could affect the provision of care such as utility failures. Personal evacuation plans were in place.

Systems were in place to ensure medicines were safely administered and people received their medicines as prescribed.

Staff had received the training they required to meet people’s needs.

People’s health needs were met and if a person had a medical appointment additional staff were arranged to support people to attend the appointment.

We saw that there was plenty of food available at the home for people to eat. We saw that staff offered choices to the person eating lunch.

The premises was seen to be spacious, comfortable and homely. All areas of the home were seen to be clean and tidy.

The atmosphere at Briar House was calm, relaxed and friendly. Staff knew people’s likes and dislikes very well and we saw positive interactions between people.

People’s needs were documented in their care records. There was evidence that people had been involved in reviewing their care plans.

People were involved in individual activities within the home and also within the community. People were encouraged to maintain as much independence as possible.

No formal complaints had been received about the service and feedback from the local authority quality assurance team was positive.

Staff told us that they enjoyed working at Briar House and that the deputy manager and registered manager were approachable and supportive.

The staff team had been stable for many years.

At the time of our visit, one member of staff was on duty and all three service users were at home. They were friendly and welcoming and were happy to talk to us about their experiences at the home. They were positive about the home and the staff and said they liked living at Briar House. They said their choices were listened to and they were able to do the things they wanted to do.

Two people told us that they attended local day centres, although one had not attended for some time due to mobility issues. They told us that they enjoyed attending the centres. Staff told us that attending the centres enabled the service users to maintain some independence and take part in activities away from the home.

The atmosphere at Briar House was relaxed and homely; we observed staff interacting with services users and engaging in conversations. The staff clearly understood their needs and had good relationships with all of them.

Briar House had two living rooms but at the time of the visit, one was being used as a ground floor bedroom for one service user, due to mobility issues.

The registered manager was unavailable on the day of the visit but we were able to speak to her deputy.

At the time of our visit, two of the people living at Briar House were not at home as they attended a local day centre. We were told that they enjoyed attending the centre as it enabled them to maintain some independence and take part in activities away from the home.

Staff supported each person based on their individual needs and wishes. We observed staff interacting with the person at home during our visit. This person had limited verbal communication, however it was clear staff understood their needs and had a good relationship with them. They made us welcome and were happy chat with us.

Staff were also spoken with during our visit. They told us they enjoyed their work and were supported by the provider/manager if they needed anything.