The Care Quality Commission
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Brandon Trust Supported Living - Trident Business Centre, Tooting

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

89 Bickersteth Road, Tooting, London, SW17 9SH (01452) 886307

Provided and run by:
The Brandon Trust

Important: This service was previously registered at a different address - see old profile

All Inspections

During an assessment under our new approach

Date of assessment 26 April 2024 to 09 May 2024. The team who conducted the inspection consisted of 2 inspectors. We looked at 4 key questions and 7 quality statements during this assessment. Brandon Trust Supported Living - Trident Business Centre, Tooting is a supported living service providing personal care and support to people with a learning disability or autism. The Care Quality Commission [CQC] does not regulate premises used for supported living as people’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements for this type of adult social care setting. Furthermore, CQC only inspects where people receive personal care and support. 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 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. The service continued to provide an outstandingly caring service to people. People continued to receive an exceptional level of support in relation to their daily lives. They participated in the recruitment of staff who supported them and the decision making of the provider organisation nationally, for example in the development and review of the provider’s policies. People’s support was individual and personalised to their needs and preferences. People felt empowered and in control of their lives. The provider took the appropriate steps to keep people as safe from harm as possible, for example through staff training. Staff recruitment was robust and staff told us they received training and support which was relevant to their roles. People were supported in line with their individual risk assessments and the provider sought people's consent.

8 October 2018

During a routine inspection

This comprehensive inspection took place on 8 and 9 October 2018 and was announced.

Brandon Trust Supported Living - Trident Business Centre, Tooting is a supported living service that provides personal care and support to younger and older adults with a learning disability or autism who live in their own individual or group home. Support provided ranges from a couple of hours to 24 hours cover. At the time of our inspection the provider was supporting 71 people who lived in 20 different supported living settings in the South London Boroughs of Southwark, Wandsworth and Croydon.

People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. The landlords in most cases were Housing Associations. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not regulate premises used for supported living.

The supported living service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include the promotion of choice, independence and inclusion, so people with learning disabilities and autism can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

At our last inspection of this service in April 2017 we rated them 'Good' overall and for all five key questions. In October 2017 Brandon Trust Supported Living - Trident Business Centre, Tooting reregistered with the CQC and therefore this inspection will represent the first time we have rated them, although most people the provider supports, managers and staff, and their processes and systems remain the same.

At this inaugural inspection of Brandon Trust Supported Living - Trident Business Centre, Tooting, we have rated them 'Good' overall and for four out of the five key questions, while we have awarded them an ‘Outstanding’ rating for the key question, ‘Is the service caring?’

The service has six registered managers (known as locality managers) in post, who were in day-to-day charge of between one to three supported living settings each. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC to manage a service. Like registered providers, they are 'registered persons'. Registered persons have a legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People the provider supported, their relatives and professional representatives were all extremely complimentary about the standard of the service they, their loved ones or clients received from Brandon Trust Supported Living - Trident Business Centre, Tooting.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Staff were caring and treated the people they supported with the utmost respect and dignity. Staff ensured people's privacy was always maintained particularly when they supported people with their personal care needs. Staff consistently demonstrated warmth, respect and empathy in their interactions with people they supported. People had positive relationships with staff, who took time to get to know them. People were supported to maintain relationships with those that mattered to them. Staff were aware of the communication needs and preferences of the people they supported. This enabled people to express their views and make informed decisions and choices about the care and support they received.

People received personalised support that was responsive to their individual needs. People were involved in planning the care and support they received. Each person had an up to date, personalised plan for life (care plan), which set out how their specific care and support needs should be met by staff. Staff communicated with people in appropriate and accessible ways. People were supported to live active life’s and pursue meaningful social, educational and vocational activities that reflected their social interests. People were encouraged to maintain relationships with people that mattered to them.

Managers at all levels provided good leadership. People the provider supported, their relatives and staff were complimentary about the leadership approach of all the managers. They said managers were highly regarded and easy to contact and speak to. Managers at all levels ensured the provider’s values and vision for the home were fully embedded in the service's systems and processes and demonstrated by staff through their behaviours and actions. There was clear oversight and scrutiny of the service. They used well-established quality assurance systems to ensure all aspects of the service were routinely monitored and could be improved for people they supported. This helped them to check that people were consistently experiencing good quality care and support. Any shortfalls or gaps identified through these checks were promptly addressed.

The provider had an open and transparent culture. People felt comfortable raising any issues they had about the provider. The service had arrangements in place to deal appropriately with people's concerns and complaints. The provider also routinely gathered feedback from people using the service, their relatives and staff. This feedback alongside the provider's own audits and quality checks was used to continually assess, monitor and improve the quality of the supported living service they provided.

People told us they were safe. Staff knew how to recognise and report suspected abuse and neglect to protect people they supported from the risk of harm. The provider had suitable arrangements in place for checking the suitability and fitness of new staff employed to work at the service. Staffing levels were continuously monitored by managers and senior staff to ensure people experienced consistency and continuity in their care and that their needs could always be met. Staff followed appropriate guidance to minimise identified risks to people's health, safety and welfare. Where people needed assistance with taking their medicine this was monitored and carried out safely.

People were supported by staff that had the right skills and knowledge to fulfil their roles effectively. Managers encouraged and supported staff to deliver high quality care and recognised and rewarded them when they demonstrated excellence in the work place. Staff said they felt supported by their line managers and co-workers. Staff adhered to the Mental Capacity Act 2005 Code of Practice. People were supported to eat healthily. People received the support they needed to stay healthy and to access healthcare services.