Brondesbury Road

Updated 3 June 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector, with support from a BSL interpreter.

Service and service type

Brondesbury Road is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Brondesbury Road is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was announced. We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small and people are often out and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since it was registered with the CQC. The provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The PIR also provides data about the organisation and service. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager and operations manager. We also spoke with two relatives of two people using the service. We spoke with four people using the service to obtain feedback about their experiences of the service. We examined care records of five people. We also looked at personnel records of four staff, including details of their recruitment, training and supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were also reviewed.

Updated 3 June 2023

We expect¿health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right¿support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance Care Quality Commission (CQC)¿follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting¿people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

About the service

Brondesbury Road is a service for six deaf people and those who are hard of hearing. Some people have additional sensory impairments and may also express distress and agitation. The service is spacious and provides accommodation on the first and second floor. Brondesbury Road is located close to Queens Park and Kilburn High Street; both areas provide good transport links and shopping facilities.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.

Right support:

We received positive feedback from people’s relatives, who told us people were supported to have the maximum possible choice, control and independence. Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. People told us and we saw evidence they were supported to achieve their aspirations and goals. 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.

Right care:

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff understood and responded to their individual needs. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. People’s preferred methods of communication were highlighted in their care plans. There were a range of communication formats, each personalised to the specific needs of the person.

Right culture:

People received good quality care, support and treatment because trained staff and specialists could meet their needs and wishes. Staff knew and understood people well and were responsive to their needs. Staff knew and understood people well. They supported people’s aspirations to live a quality life of their choosing. People led inclusive and empowered lives because of the ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of the management and staff.

People lived safely and free from unwarranted restrictions because the service assessed, monitored and managed safety well. The assessments provided information about how to support people to ensure risks were reduced but did not limit people’s right to take reasonable risks.

The service had enough staff. However, staff raised concerns about increased workload due to paperwork, which the registered manager advised is being looked into. Pre-employment checks had been carried out. These checks helped to ensure only suitable applicants were offered work with people.

People received their medicines safely. They were supported by staff who followed systems and processes to administer, record and store medicines safely. We observed from records people received their medicines on time.

People were protected from the risks associated with poor infection control because the service used effective infection, prevention and control measures to keep people, staff and visitors were safe.

People's health needs were met. Staff from different disciplines worked together to make sure people had effective personalised care. The care files we looked at included details of health action plans and management of day to day healthcare needs.

There was a process in place to report, monitor and learn from accidents and incidents.

Governance processes were effective and helped to assess, monitor and check the quality of the service provided to people. Audits had been carried out on a range of areas critical to the delivery of care.

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 the service under the previous provider was good, published on 13 July 2018.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for Brondesbury Road 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.