Background to this inspection
Updated
28 March 2019
The inspection: We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.
Inspection team: A single inspector carried out this inspection.
Service and service type: Bromley Mencap specialises in providing personal assistants and respite personal care support for families of people with a range of needs including learning disabilities, physical disabilities, and or mental health and sensory needs. The service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance.
The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.
Notice of inspection: This inspection site visit took place on 22 February 2019 and was announced. We gave the service two days' notice of the inspection because we needed to be sure the manager and staff would be available at the office location.
What we did: Before the inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included details about incidents the provider must tell us about, such as any safeguarding alerts they had raised. The provider also completed a provider information return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We contacted the local authority who commissions the service to ask for their views. We used this information to help inform our inspection planning.
During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager. Following our inspection, we spoke with a PA and a relative by telephone to gain their views of the service. We reviewed a range of records including one care plan and the PA’s staff recruitment and training records. We also reviewed records used in managing the service, for example, policies and procedures, monitoring records and minutes of meetings.
Updated
28 March 2019
About the service: Bromley Mencap is a small community based adult social care service. It 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 our inspection one person was using the service.
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