We carried out a review of the data available to us about Branch House 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 Branch House, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
Branch House is a care home for up to four people. At the time of the inspection four people were using the service. An annexe had been built and adapted to meet the needs of one person.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
This service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of right support, right care, right culture.
Right Support
The service gave people care and support in a clean, well equipped and well-furnished environment that met their sensory and physical needs. Some environmental risks were not being well managed. These were being addressed during the course of the inspection.
Staff supported people to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence and to be in control over their own lives; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
People were supported to be involved in decisions about their care and support. Staff were observed communicating with people in ways that met their needs and supporting people to make choices.
Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. We observed people being involved in aspects of daily living including cooking their meals.
Staff supported people to take part in home-based activities and pursue interests in their local area if they enjoyed this. One person had a voluntary job and others were starting to return to activities that had been paused during the pandemic.
People were supported in ways that reduced periods of distress. People were clearly relaxed with staff and reassured by their presence.
Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in their local community.
Staff supported people safely with their medicines and worked with health professionals to achieve good health outcomes. Staff worked with other professionals to avoid people taking unnecessary medicines.
Infection control procedures and measures were in place to protect the people from risks associated with COVID-19.
Right Care
People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to their individual needs. Throughout the inspection we observed kind, relaxed, compassionate and caring interactions between people and staff.
Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it.
The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe.
People could communicate with staff and understand information given to them because staff supported them consistently and understood their individual communication needs.
People who had individual ways of communicating, such as using Makaton (a form of sign language) and pictures could interact comfortably with staff and others involved in their care and support because staff had the necessary skills to understand them. One relative told us “They are trying to introduce more Makaton signs and I believe [person's name] does use some signing as far as possible, I do think they understand”.
People’s care plans and risk assessments reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.
Staff and people cooperated to assess risks people might face. Where appropriate, staff encouraged and enabled people to take positive risks.
Right culture
People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff. Throughout the inspection we observed that staff were respectful of people and took time to offer support and reassurance when needed. One relative told us “I hope this is where [person's name] will stay. It would be a sad day if we had to move [person's name].”
People received good quality care and support because trained staff could meet their needs and wishes.
Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive; supporting their aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing.
Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did.
Most relatives spoken too felt they were fully involved. They spoke positively about the service, with one relative stating they felt “completely” involved. However, another stated they didn’t feel involved.
The registered manager and nominated individual were open and transparent throughout our inspection. The registered manager and nominated individual acted efficiently on queries and feedback throughout the inspection.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The rating at the last inspection was Good. (Published March 2020)
Why we inspected
We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions Safe and Well-led. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection, that rated those key questions, to calculate the overall rating. You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Branch House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
Branch House is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to four people. The service is registered to provide care and support to four people. An annexe had been built and adapted to meet the needs of one person.
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 were supported by a caring, knowledgeable and committed staff team who respected them and knew them well. The staff were kind and respectful. Staff understood how people communicated.
People had built strong and warm relationships with staff and were relaxed in their company. 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. Staff respected people’s choices and preferences.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.
The outcomes for the people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People’s support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
People were supported to fill their time with things they found enjoyable and/or meaningful. They were supported with skill by a reflective staff team who spoke respectfully of people’s achievements. This meant the staff team helped people find enjoyment and security in their day to day lives and relationships.
The staff understood their responsibilities and how to protect people from abuse. Staff understood the risks people faced and the support they needed to reduce these risks.
People had access to healthcare when they needed it. Appointments for routine monitoring, such as dental and optician appointments, had been made. Complex and ongoing health care needs were supported. People were supported to eat and drink safely and their preferences were reflected in the food they shopped for and cooked.
The staff team were well led by a senior team committed to promoting person centred care within a framework of robust monitoring and developments. There were systems in place, and in development, to monitor standards and plan continual improvements.
Staff felt supported by the management team. All staff shared an ethos of personalised care and support to enable people to live the life they chose to live. Staff were happy in their jobs and wanted to provide the best care they could.
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published June 2017).
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.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Branch House provides accommodation with personal care for up to four people. The home specialises in providing a service to adults who have a learning disability or associated mental health needs. There are large private gardens and parking. The home is staffed 24 hours a day.
At the time of our inspection there were three people living at the home. Some people were not able to tell us about their experiences of life at the home so we therefore used our observations of care and our discussions with staff to help form our judgements.
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.
The philosophy of the service was “To support individuals to reach their own level of independence and develop personal skills. To ensure people have freedom to express opinions and encourage full participation in the running of the home.” Through our observations and discussions with staff it was evident that this ethos had been fully adopted and promoted by the staff team.
There was a very happy and relaxed atmosphere in the home and people looked relaxed and content with the staff who supported them. Staff understood people’s needs and preferences and engaged with each person in a way that was most appropriate to them. A person who lived at the home told us “I love it. I am very happy here. I like the staff; they are my friends.” Another person smiled and gave thumbs up when we asked them about the staff and whether they were happy living at the home.
There were enough staff deployed to help keep people safe. People were supported to live the life they chose with reduced risks to themselves or others. There was an emphasis on supporting people to develop and maintain independent living skills in a safe way.
There were policies and procedures which helped to reduce the risks of harm or abuse to the people who lived at the home. These were understood and followed by staff. These included recognising and reporting abuse, the management of people’s finances, staff recruitment and the management of people’s medicines.
People were supported by a caring staff team who knew them well. Staff spoke with great affection when they told us about the people they supported.
People were always asked for their consent before staff assisted them with any tasks and staff knew the procedures to follow to make sure people’s legal and human rights were protected.
People and the people close to them were involved in developing and reviewing the care they received. Each person had a care plan which detailed their needs, abilities and preferences. These had been regularly reviewed to ensure they reflected people’s needs and aspirations.
People accessed various activities in the home and local community. People were supported to maintain contact with the important people in their lives.
There were systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of service people received.