Archived: Bridge House

Updated 10 April 2018

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 was a comprehensive inspection. This inspection took place on 15 and 21 February 2018 and was unannounced on the first day. The membership of the inspection team comprised of one adult social care inspector.

Before the inspection, we asked the provider to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This 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.

We spoke with five people who used the service. We spent time observing how staff interacted with people they were supporting. We spoke with the registered manager, organisational manager and two care staff. We also spoke with two health care professionals by telephone following our inspection, to gain their opinion of the care provided to people.

We looked at documentation relating to people who used the service, staff and the management of the service. This included two people’s care and support records, including the assessments and plans of their care. We saw the systems used to manage people’s medication, including the storage and records kept. We also looked at the quality assurance systems to check if they were robust and identified areas for improvement.

Updated 10 April 2018

Bridge House provides accommodation for up to seven people with mental health needs. The service comprises of three domestic properties, two on Bridge Street and one on Bridge Gardens. The houses are close to each other in a residential area within walking distance of the town centre of Barnsley.

This comprehensive inspection took place on 15 and 21 February 2018 and was unannounced on the first day.

At the last inspection in November 2015, the service was rated Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the 'all reports' link for ‘Bridge House’ on our website at www.cqc.org.uk’

The service had a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

People continued to feel safe. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities to safeguard people from the risk of harm and risks to people were assessed and monitored regularly.

Staffing was not provided continually over a 24 hour period; staff were in the service for six hours each day. The commissioners were aware of the staffing arrangement, which they confirmed met the needs of the people who used the service. Robust recruitment processes continued to be in place.

People continued to receive their medicines in a safe manner and received good healthcare support. People received a nutritious and balanced diet and their dietary needs and choices were met.

Infection control systems were in place. However, we found not all the houses were well maintained or kept clean.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible.

Risks continued to be assessed and recorded by staff to protect people. There were systems in place to monitor incidents and accidents. There were arrangements in place for the service to make sure that action was taken and lessons learned when things went wrong, to improve safety across the service.

People told us they had good relationships with the staff. They said they were caring and kind. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and promoted their independence.

The service had an open culture which encouraged communication and learning. People who used the service, health care professionals and staff were encouraged to provide feedback about the service and it was used to drive improvement.

There were policies in place that ensured people would be listened to and treated fairly if they complained about the service.

We saw that the registered manager who was also the registered provider continued to monitor and audit the quality and safety of the service and that people who used the service were involved in the development of the home and were able to contribute ideas.

Further information is in the detailed findings below