Housing 21 - Bramble Hollow

Updated 12 October 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.

Inspection site visit activity took place on 13 September 2018 and was unannounced. One adult social care inspector carried out the inspection. It included a visit to the provider’s office to speak with the registered manager and office staff; and to review care records and policies and procedures.

During our inspection we spoke with four people who used the service and three family members. In addition to the registered manager, we also spoke with the assistant care manager, three members of care staff and one social care professional. We looked at the care records of three people who used the service and the personnel files for three members of staff.

Before we visited the service we checked the information we held about this location and the service provider, for example, inspection history, statutory notifications and complaints. A notification is information about important events which the service is required to send to the Commission by law. We contacted professionals involved in caring for people who used the service, including commissioners and safeguarding staff. We also reviewed information about the service on the local Healthwatch website. Healthwatch is the local consumer champion for health and social care services. They give consumers a voice by collecting their views, concerns and compliments through their engagement work. Information provided by these professionals was used to inform the inspection.

We used information the provider sent us in the Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

Updated 12 October 2018

This inspection took place on 13 September 2018 and was unannounced. This meant the staff and provider did not know we would be visiting.

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to older people living in their own flats within the Bramble Hollow complex.

Not everyone living at Bramble Hollow received the regulated activity; CQC only inspects the service being received by people provided with 'personal care'; help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also take into account any wider social care provided. On the day of our inspection there were 27 people receiving personal care at the service.

This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

The service had a registered manager in place. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC to manage the service. Like 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.

We last inspected the service in May 2016 and rated the service as ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’ and met all the fundamental standards we inspected against.

The registered manager understood their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding and staff had been trained in safeguarding vulnerable adults.

Accidents and incidents were appropriately recorded, risk assessments were in place and appropriate health and safety checks were carried out.

Appropriate arrangements were in place for the safe administration and storage of medicines.

There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty in order to meet the needs of people who used the service. The provider had an effective recruitment and selection procedure in place and carried out relevant vetting checks when they employed staff. Staff were suitably trained and received regular supervisions and appraisals.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives, and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People were protected from the risk of poor nutrition and staff were aware of people’s nutritional needs. Care records contained evidence of people being supported during visits to and from external health care specialists.

People who used the service and family members were complimentary about the standard of care at the service. Staff treated people with dignity and respect and helped to maintain people’s independence by encouraging them to care for themselves where possible.

People’s needs were assessed before they started using the service and support plans were written in a person-centred way. Person-centred means ensuring the person is at the centre of any care or support plans and their individual wishes, needs and choices are taken into account.

People were supported with their end of life care needs.

People were protected from social isolation and the service had good links with the local community.

The provider had an effective complaints procedure in place and people who used the service and family members were aware of how to make a complaint.

The provider had an effective quality assurance process in place. Staff said they felt supported by the management team. People who used the service, family members and staff were regularly consulted about the quality of the service.