Baobab Care UK Limited

Updated 14 July 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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service provides care and support to people living in ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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

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.

Inspection activity started on 30 May 2023 and ended on 21 June 2023. We visited the location’s office on 30 May 2023

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service and we sought feedback from the local authority. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with one person (who consented to speak with us) in their own home and observed staff interactions with 2 other people in their own homes. We also spoke to a group of people in the provider’s office who were keen to meet the inspector and share their experiences of the service. We spoke with 12 members of staff including the registered manager, deputy manager, team leaders, support workers, the safety intervention lead counsellor and the nominated individual. The nominated individual is responsible for supervising the management of the service on behalf of the provider.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 4 people’s care records and medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. We also reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service including audits and policies and procedures.

After the Inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training records, minutes of meetings and quality assurance records. We spoke with 3 professionals who work with the service and 4 relatives about their experience of the care provided to people.

Updated 14 July 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 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

Baobab Care UK Limited is registered to provide personal care services to people in their own homes or supported living. People the service supports have a range of needs including physical disability, learning disability and mental health. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of the inspection there were 20 people receiving support which was overseen by the registered manager and nominated individual across 10 locations.

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

Right Support:

People were supported by staff who had been provided with training to effectively meet people’s needs. Regular staff competency checks were in place to ensure staff supported people in line with their current needs. Staff were kept up to date with changes in people’s care needs and the service worked alongside a variety of healthcare professionals to ensure people’s specific needs were being met. People were supported to maintain their independence.

Staff knew people well and people told us they felt safe when supported by a consistent group of staff.

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 person centred care and were treated with dignity and respect. Staff were aware of what was important to people and how they wished to spend their time.

Right Culture:

The provider and registered manager worked well together to ensure people’s health and wellbeing needs were being met. Care needs were regularly reviewed, alternative ways of supporting people were looked for to assist people to live their lives to the full. Weekly management meetings took place to review service delivery and ensure people’s needs were being met. Families were supported and listened to. Staff were encouraged and supported to take on additional training to enhance their skills and provide further opportunities to develop their careers with the company.

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 this service was good (published May 2019).

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

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Baobab Care UK Limited on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.