We carried out a review of the data available to us about Brighton Supported Living on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Brighton Supported Living, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
63 Lustrells Vale is a supported living service registered to provide personal care to people with a learning disability and autistic people living in their own homes. At the time of inspection there were 7 people being supported with personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive a regulated activity of personal care.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
Right Support: People were supported to live in their community as independently as possible. People were encouraged to make choices about their lifestyle which were individual to them, this meant people’s activities and pass-times were meaningful to them. People told us they were supported to do the things they were interested in.
There were enough trained staff to meet people’s needs and provide safe support. Staff had been safely recruited and had time to get to know people’s needs, risks and preferences. People told us they felt safe and that staff knew them well.
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 were supported in a person centred way and their privacy and dignity was respected. Staff understood people’s risks and choices and how to safeguard people from the risk of abuse and avoidable harm.
People were encouraged to set goals and develop their independence and networks. Staff and managers worked in partnership with people’s health, social care and housing support to ensure their wider needs were identified and supported with them. People felt their social interests and individuality were valued by staff.
Right Culture: Systems were in place to ensure the quality of care and support was reviewed with people to drive improvements. Managers and staff felt supported and were proud of their roles, and the achievements experienced by people. There were active plans to identify and make improvements to people’s experiences.
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 at the previous premises was good (published 14 August 2019).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staff recruitment and training, assessment and monitoring of people’s needs, and governance of the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from these concerns.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, only one site was visited to prevent infection spread between the living spaces. We met with the registered manager who has oversight across all three properties.
We found the following examples of good practice.
People were supported to continue with their usual activities, for example, completing shopping or attending leisure facilities. The provider encouraged people to take part in good infection prevention and control measures. This included wearing face masks in the community and thorough handwashing upon return to their home.
The registered manager had taken reasonable steps to work with people and their visitors to encourage good infection prevention and control. Visitors were requested to wear personal protective equipment (PPE), especially in communal areas, and take a lateral flow test before accessing the service.
Staff were observed to be wearing PPE in line with government guidance. There were appropriate areas for PPE to be safely put on and taken off, and posters were visible to remind staff how to do this safely.
People and staff were involved in a regular routine of testing for COVID-19. People had been given the choice of whether to participate in testing and consent was documented. During the recent outbreak, additional testing had been done appropriately to minimise the risk of infection spread and staff were supported to isolate.
Staff have completed specific training around infection prevention and control (IPC) and COVID-19. All new staff were required to do this before starting employment at the service.
The provider had an up to date IPC policy. The registered manager had undertaken audits of IPC measures and cleaning schedules to ensure good quality practice.
69 Saltdean Drive provides supported living to five people in one adapted building supporting younger people with learning and physical disabilities. At the time of the inspection two people were receiving personal care. Not everyone living at 69 Saltdean Drive received regulated activity; CQC only inspects services being received by people provided with ‘personal care, with tasks related to personal hygiene, medication and eating. Where they do, we also take into account any wider social care provided.
The service is situated in Saltdean. 69 Saltdean Drive consisted of one adapted building. The service had a large communal area for people to eat and come together to socialise, with a garden at the rear of the service.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service:
People felt safe and told us they enjoyed living at the service. Risks to people had been assessed and staff followed guidance to keep people safe. There were enough staff to meet people's needs. Medicines were managed safely, and staff had been trained in infection prevention and control. Lessons were learned if things went wrong and systems supported people to stay safe and reduce the risks to them, ensuring they were cared for in a person-centred way.
People spoke positively about the staff who supported them and had confidence in their skills and experience. Staff had regular supervision and an annual appraisal. People enjoyed the food and were able to choose what they had to eat and drink. People had access to a range of healthcare professionals and support. 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.
People and relatives told us that staff treated them with kindness and we observed friendly interactions throughout the day. People were encouraged to be involved in daily decisions about their care and support and were treated with dignity and respect.
People received personalised care that was responsive to their needs. Activities were organised according to people's preferences, interests and suggestions. People and relatives told us they felt comfortable to make a complaint and knew how to do this.
The provider had quality assurance systems in place to monitor the standard of care and drive improvement. People, relatives and staff spoke positively about the culture of the home and said it was well managed. One relative told us, “We are very pleased with the service and just hope that it continues to succeed.”
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection: This was the first inspection of 69 Saltdean Drive since it was registered by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 18 May 2018. New services are assessed to check they are likely to be safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led when registering.
Why we inspected: This was a scheduled inspection.
Follow up: We will continue to monitor the intelligence we receive about this home and plan to inspect in line with our re-inspection schedule for those services rated Good.