Archived: Brain Injury Services Ltd

Updated 20 July 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check 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.

This inspection took place on the 16 and 19 June 2017. We gave the provider 48 hours’ notice of our inspection because we needed to be sure there would be someone in the office when we arrived. The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an expert by experience who contacted people by telephone to gather their feedback about the service. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Before the inspection, we reviewed the completed Provider Information Return (PIR) which the provider had sent to us. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service such as, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also reviewed information we held about the service such as notifications. A notification is information about important events which the provider is required to send us by law.

During the inspection process, we spoke with four people and two relatives of people who used the service to gain their feedback about the quality of care provided. We also spoke with five members of the support team which included registered nurses and the manager. Three health professionals who work alongside the service with people supported were also contacted and their feedback is included in the report.

We reviewed the care records and risk assessments of four people, and we looked at the recruitment and training records of four members of staff. We also reviewed information on how the quality of the service, including the handling of complaints, was monitored and managed.

Updated 20 July 2017

This inspection took place on 16 and 19 June 2017 and was announced to make sure there was someone available at the provider’s offices. We last inspected this service January 2014 and found that the provider was meeting legal requirements.

Brain Injury Services Limited provide case management support for people affected by a brain injury and their families. The provider works with people and their families, legal representatives and healthcare professionals. They develop, deliver and monitor a package of care for people to meet their individual needs, support their rehabilitation, and provide for their care and support. At the time of the inspection, support was being provided for 48 people.

The service does not have a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 manager confirmed that the process to register as manager was in progress. We were able to confirm this with CQC registration team.

People had individualised risk assessments that gave guidance to staff on keeping them safe whilst supporting them in regaining their confidence and re-learning their daily life skills. People’s safety was protected because staff were trained in safeguarding and knew how to keep people safe from avoidable harm. There was enough staff to safely meet people’s needs and staff had received appropriate training to support their role. The provider had policies and procedures in place for the recruitment of new staff.

People were able to express their views and be actively involved in making decisions about their care. People were also involved in choosing the staff that delivered their care and support. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s care needs and received specific training to meet these needs. They sought people’s consent before providing care, and they understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff demonstrated empathy and were caring and respectful whilst discussing their role with us about the people they supported. They also showed us that they were respectful of people’s dignity and privacy. People’s needs had been identified before they started to use the service, and were reviewed regularly. People were supported in a personalised way and they all had individualised support plans in place.

Staff said the management of the service was fair, transparent and approachable, staff meetings were regular, to discuss people's needs and discuss any changes to the organisation or the way they worked. Staff were able to contribute to the meetings and make suggestions. Staff received regular supervision which included group supervision as well as one to one meetings. Staff also told us that they could ring the manager at any time for additional supervision should they require it. Relatives said the management was very good; the manager was always available and, they would be happy to talk to them if they had any concerns. Staff were supported in their role and to take part in the development of the service. Regular audits and surveys were carried out to monitor and manage the quality of the service.