Archived: Bromley Mencap

People’s experience of using this service:

¿ The service applied the values and principles of CQC guidance ‘Registering the Right Support’ (RRS). People were enabled to make choices about their lives and were supported to be as independent as possible. RRS guidance works to ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes including control, choice and independence.

¿ People and their relatives spoke positively about the service. They told us they felt safe and their needs were met.

¿ People were supported by personal assistants [PAs]. PAs knew the people they supported and had built good relationships with them and their relatives to ensure appropriate person-centred care and support was provided.

¿ The service had safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures and how to keep people safe.

¿ People's needs and preferences were assessed and where risks were identified, plans were in place to manage risks safely in the least restrictive way possible.

¿ There were safe arrangements in place to manage medicines where this was part of someone’s planned support. PA’s followed appropriate infection control practices to prevent the spread of infections.

¿ Appropriate recruitment checks took place before staff started work and there were enough PAs available to meet people’s care and support needs.

¿ PAs had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people appropriately. PAs were appropriately supported through induction, training and regular supervision.

¿ People were supported to maintain a healthy balanced diet where this was part of their planned 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.

¿ People and their relatives told us staff treated them in a kind, caring and respectful manner.

¿ People and their relatives, where appropriate, had been consulted about their care and support needs.

¿ People were supported to access community services and to participate in activities of their choosing that met their needs.

¿ PAs worked with people to promote their rights and understood the Equality Act 2010, supporting people by appropriately addressing any protected characteristics.

¿ There were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service.

¿ The service worked in partnership with health and social care professionals and other organisations to plan and deliver an effective service.

¿ The service took people, their relatives and staff views into account through surveys and informal feedback to help drive service improvements.

Rating at last inspection: Good (Report was published on 9 August 2016).

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the rating at the last inspection. We found the service continued to meet the characteristics of Good in all areas.

Follow up: We will continue to monitor intelligence we receive about the service until we return to visit in line with our re-inspection programme. If any concerning information is received we may inspect the service sooner.

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

Bromley Mencap is a small scheme that specialises in providing personal assistants and respite personal care and support for families of people with a range of needs including learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and or mental health and sensory needs. The focus of the service is on encouraging people’s independence, well- being and involvement in their community as well as providing some respite for families. At the time of the inspection two people were using the service.

There was 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.

People and their relatives told us they felt safe and well cared for using the service. Staff had received training on safeguarding adults. They knew the signs of possible abuse and were aware of how to raise any concerns. Possible risks to people were identified and plans were put into place to reduce risk. There were arrangements to deal with emergencies.

People were supported by carers they knew well to maintain consistency in the support provided. This enabled staff to get to know people’s needs fully and for people to feel relaxed with them. Staff were trained and told us they were well supported to carry out their work. People and their relatives were complimentary about the service. People told us that staff were warm, caring and reliable and that their dignity and individuality were respected.

Where people were supported to eat and drink they were consulted about their food and drink choices and any cultural or health needs were addressed. Health care professionals were consulted when needed. People were asked for their consent before care was provided. They were involved in making decisions about their care wherever possible and were supported to be as independent as they could. Care plans reflected people’s individual needs and wishes, and guided staff on the care and support to be provided. People and their relatives knew how to make a complaint if they needed to.

Relatives and staff told us the service was well led and all the staff were approachable, flexible and supportive. The provider sought the views of people about the service through frequent contact. A system of checks to monitor the quality of the service was in place. People and their relatives told us any issues they raised were acted on to improve the quality of the care provided.

Everyone we spoke with said that the staff explained what they were doing and involved them in decisions about their care, and in reviewing their care plans. People said they were given choices about how their care was delivered and that they felt safe and well cared for. One person said: 'the staff are very respectful and helpful and even help us fill out difficult forms if we need it', and another said: 'the staff show great attention to detail and use pictures to help my daughter to communicate what she wants to do'. These comments were reflective of the comments we received from the majority of people we spoke with.

The provider ensured that they spoke with and involved other health professionals in providing care for people. The staff understood how to keep people safe and they were supported by the management to understand how to support people through training and supervision. There was a system in place to effectively respond to people's concerns and complaints.

All of the people we spoke with who used the service told us they were involved in the planning of their care, and had been asked for their views.

We reviewed information four people's care and found that their care needs were being planned for. Care staff understood people's care needs and knew how to protect them from risk and harm. We found that staff were recruited appropriately, had adequate training and supervision and were supported by the agency's management to do their jobs effectively. Staff we spoke with said the management were very supportive and the training was really excellent. The provider used effective systems to regularly check that care was being provided safely and appropriately.