We carried out a review of the data available to us about Brunswick Supported Living Services Ltd 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 Brunswick Supported Living Services Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Brunswick Supported Living Services provide supported living services including personal care and support to people with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder or a mental health condition. People's care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people's personal care and support. At the time of our inspection, the service provided care and support to 16 people.
Not everyone using the service receives regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with ‘personal care’, help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided
People’s experience of using this service
We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture. Feedback and records showed people experienced choice and control over their support and care planning was person centred.
People told us people they were very happy, because they felt safe and all their needs were met by kind and caring staff.
Staff praised the managers of the service and agreed that they were approachable, knowledgeable, fair and did their job well. The staff team worked well together and supported the registered manager. The provider employed enough staff to make sure people’s need were met in a timely way.
The staff team was committed to providing a high-quality service and keeping people safe. They had undertaken training so that they were skilled and knowledgeable to effectively meet people’s needs. Staff understood their responsibilities to report any concerns.
Staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff knew people well. Staff managed the risks to people’s health and welfare.
People were given choices about the way in which they were cared for. Staff listened to them and knew their needs well. Care plans contained detailed information about each person’s individual support needs and preferences in relation to their care and we found evidence of good outcomes for people. When people did not have the capacity to make their own decisions, staff maximised their involvement and made decisions in their best interests, in accordance with legislation.
Staffing levels were enough to meet people’s needs. Recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks had been completed before staff worked at the service.
Most people had complex needs and staff involved other professionals, to ensure they gained a full understanding of the factors influencing each person and further developed an individualised approach to their care. They had access to a range of activities and were encouraged to participate in events in the local community.
The managers of the service actively sought the views of people and their relatives about the running of the scheme and they dealt promptly with any concerns that people raised.
The provider had a number of systems in place to monitor and improve the quality and safety of the service provided.
More information is in the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Rating at last inspection
At the last inspection we rated this service Good. The report was published on 6 February 2018.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received, we may inspect sooner.
At our last inspection in June 2015 two breaches of regulation were found in relation to medicines management and good governance and the service was rated as ‘requires improvement'.
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.
There was good overall feedback about the service, from people using it and their relatives. We found people were treated with kindness and compassion, and that they were given emotional support when needed. The service ensured people's privacy and dignity was respected and promoted.
People’s needs were identified and responded to well. The service was effective at working in co-operation with other organisations to deliver good care and support. This included where people’s needs had changed, and where people needed on going healthcare support.
The support staff we spoke with demonstrated a good knowledge of people’s care needs, significant people and events in their lives, and their daily routines and preferences. They also understood the provider’s safeguarding procedures and could explain how they would protect people if they had any concerns.
Staff told us they really enjoyed working in the service and spoke positively about the culture and management of the service. Staff told us that they were encouraged to openly discuss any issues. Staff said they enjoyed their jobs and described management as supportive. Staff confirmed they were able to raise issues and make suggestions about the way the service was provided.
Medicines management had been improved The provider had updated systems for recording and storing of medicines and regular weekly audits were taking place.
People were able to make choices about the way in which they were cared for. Staff listened to them and knew their needs well. Staff had the training and support they needed.
Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people’s needs. Recruitment practices were safe and relevant checks had been completed before staff worked at the service.
People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice
People participated in a range of social activities and were supported to access the local community.
The registered manager and staff ensured everyone was supported to maintain good health.
Staff were well supported with training and supervision which helped them to ensure they provided effective care for people.
People and those important to them, such as their relatives or professionals were asked for feedback about the quality of the service.
The registered manager and staff knew what they should do if anyone made a complaint.
Person centred care was fundamental to the service and staff made sure people were at the centre of their practice. Care plans focused on the whole person, and assessments and plans were regularly updated.
The service was well led. There was a clear set of values in place which all of the staff put into practice. The management team had developed robust quality assurance checks, to make sure standards of care were maintained. There was an open culture and staff said they felt well motivated and valued by all of the managers.
We found that the provider had made sufficient improvements and had overall addressed the two breaches of regulations we found at the last inspection.
Brunswick Supported living Services is registered to provide domiciliary care and a supported living service. At the time of the inspection, the service had 12 people using the service. The service was providing a 24 hours supported living service to two people in their privately rented flats and 10 people on floating and outreach support. Brunswick Supported living Services provided supported living services including personal care and support to people with a learning disability, autistic spectrum disorder or a mental health condition. A supported living service is one where people receive care and support to enable people to live independently.
The service had a registered manager who had been registered with the Care Quality Commission since 8 April 2016. 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 using the service and their relatives told us they found staff caring, helpful and friendly. People using the service told us staff were attentive to their health and care needs and listened to them. Staff were able to demonstrate their understanding of the needs and preferences of the people they cared, for example we could see staff provided care that maintained people’s privacy and dignity.
The service supported people to learn independent living skills by assisting them in areas such as shopping and cooking. The service worked with a specialist advisor to engage with people in identifying their likes, dislikes, wishes and preferences, and to produce their person-centred plans.
We checked medicines administration charts and found gaps in the records that were being kept of medicines administered by staff. Care plans and risk assessments supported the safe handling of people's medicines. Care plans had information on people’s individual needs and likes and dislikes recorded, but lacked people’s personal histories. Risk assessments were detailed and individualised. However, there were several gaps in the care records.
There were safeguarding policies and procedures in place. Staff were able to demonstrate their role in making safeguarding alerts and raising concerns.
Staff told us they were supported well and we evidenced records of staff supervision. Staff told us they attended induction training and received additional training and training records evidenced this.
Staff files had records of application forms, interview assessment notes, criminal record checks and reference checks.
The service operated within the legal framework of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).
The service lacked effective systems and process to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of service provided.
We found that the registered provider was not meeting legal requirements and there were a number of breaches of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 in relation to medicines, care records and quality and assurance processes.
You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.