We carried out a review of the data available to us about Brandon Supported Living - Gloucestershire 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 Brandon Supported Living - Gloucestershire, you can give feedback on this service.
Brandon Supported Living is a supported living service for people with physical and learning disabilities. This service provides care and support to people living in separate supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. There were 150 people receiving the regulated activity of ‘personal care’ from Brandon Supported Living at the time of the inspection.
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.
The designs of the homes fitted into the surrounding residential areas . There were deliberately no identifying signs, intercom, industrial bins or anything else outside to indicate the premises were care homes. Staff were also discouraged from wearing anything that suggested they were care staff when coming and going with people .
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The vision of Brandon Supported Living was to promote a service in which people are ‘able to realise their potential as equal and active citizens who have control over their lives.’ All staff and senior management demonstrated this clear vision and a highly positive person-centred culture was seen throughout. Staff had set high standards for themselves and this promoted an exceptionally positive culture which challenged disability perceptions, improved the confidence of people and had very positive impacts on the lives of the people using the service.
People were supported to focus on making a positive contribution to others, the service and the community and achieve their potential. We saw examples of people being supported to take leadership roles in the service. This included the recruitment of staff at all levels, training of staff and quality assurance processes. Throughout the inspection, we found people and staff were motivated and passionate about equality and empowering people to live the lives they want.
People and carers spoke overwhelmingly of the positive support, guidance and healthcare interventions people had received. They were full of praise for the staff in terms of their kindness and compassion. People were 'very happy' with the service they received. We received positive comments about their views and experiences. People told us they felt safe because the staff were "Caring and enjoyed what they did". People and their families viewed the staff as experts in their knowledge and skills when supporting people with complex health needs.
People's aspirations were explored with them and developed. Staff worked hard to make sure, that where it was possible, people had opportunities to lead as full a life as possible. They made sure daily activities were tailored to meet people's individual needs, preferences and abilities. Staff made sure people had opportunities to enjoy themselves. People's suggestions and ideas were sought and valued when it came to planning these activities.
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.
The registered managers and extended leadership team offered exceptional leadership and had a clear vision about the direction of the service. They were highly committed to improving people's lives and ensuring people had the best care they could receive. They expected the same high standards from the staff who were also committed to these shared values. The management team were very much part of the overall care team at Brandon Supported Living. They were very involved in people's care, visible and approachable. Staff working at the service clearly understood their role and worked hard to promote a homely atmosphere.
There was a robust quality assurance system in place to ensure people received the best possible service. The registered managers worked closely with partner agencies and services to promote best practice within the service and make a positive impact to people’s lives. The service was constantly striving to innovate to ensure they were providing the best possible care to the people they were supporting. The registered managers had developed a strong leadership team within the service to ensure the high standards implemented were sustained in their absence.
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 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.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 15 December 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
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.
There were six registered managers in post at the service, 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 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
The service was last inspected in January 2014. At that inspection there were no breaches of the regulations. .
The service was safe. Risk assessments were implemented and reflected the current level of risk to people. There were sufficient staffing levels to ensure safe care and treatment.
People were receiving effective care and support. Staff received training which was relevant to their role. Staff received regular supervisions and appraisals. The service was adhering to the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and where required the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). Staff supervisions and appraisals were not always completed. The provider sent us an email after the inspection confirming every staff member will receive these by January 2017.
Staff told us there was an open culture and the environment was an enjoyable place to work. Staff were extremely passionate about their job roles and felt integral to the process of providing effective care to people. There were some mixed reviews from relatives regarding the management.
The service was caring. We observed staff supporting people in a caring and patient way. Staff knew the people they supported well and were able to describe what they like to do and how they like to be supported. People were supported sensitively with an emphasis on promoting their rights to privacy, dignity, choice and independence. People were supported to undertake meaningful activities, which reflected their interests.
The service was responsive to people’s needs. Care plans were person centred to provide consistent, high quality care and support. Daily records were detailed and contained sufficient information for staff to read and support people effectively.
The service was well led. Quality assurance checks and audits were occurring regularly and identified actions to improve the service. Some staff, relatives and other professionals spoke positively about the registered managers.
We also spoke with three registered managers at the agency's office and eight staff who were on duty in the houses we visited. People we spoke with told us they were happy with the service they received and they were supported to participate in daily activities of their choosing. A relative told us, 'Staff are kind and compassionate and have the person's best interest at heart'.
Care plans were personalised to the individual and gave detailed step-by-step guidance for staff to follow to meet people's care and support needs. Staff we spoke with showed that they had a clear understanding of involving people in day-to-day decisions about their care.
Appropriate arrangements were in place to support people to take their medication. There were enough qualified, skilled and experienced staff to meet people's needs. The provider sought the views of people who used the service and used these comments to improve and develop the service.