Brightwater

Updated 18 September 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 checked 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 unannounced comprehensive inspection took place on 14 and 15 August 2018 and was carried out by one inspector.

Before the inspection, we reviewed all the information we held about the service including previous inspection reports and notifications received by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). A notification is used by registered managers to tell us about important issues and events which have happened within the service. The provider had completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, such as what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We used this information to help us decide what areas to focus on during our inspection.

We spoke with all four of the people living in the Brightwater Care Home and the person receiving a personal care service in their own home. We also spent time observing interactions between people and the staff supporting them. We spoke with the registered manager, registered providers and three support workers. We reviewed two people’s care records, staff training records, the recruitment file for the one staff member that had been recruited since our last inspection, and other records relating to the management of the home such as audits, rotas and meeting minutes. Following our visit, we obtained feedback from five relatives and two health and social care professionals about the quality of care provided.

Updated 18 September 2018

Brightwater is registered both as a care home but also to provide a personal care service to people living in their own home. Throughout the report we refer to the registered provider by their trading name of In Chorus. The registered care home provided accommodation and personal care for up to five people living with autistic spectrum disorder and/ or other mental health needs. People in care homes receive accommodation and their care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided and both were looked at during this inspection. At the time of our inspection there were four people living in the care home.

At the time of the inspection, Brightwater was providing a personal care service to one person who was living in their own home. When people live in their own home, CQC do not regulate the premises within which they live, only the ‘personal care’ element of support being provided.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

At our last inspection in April 2016, we rated the service as overall good. At this inspection, we found the evidence continued to support an overall rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

Some elements of the service were outstanding.

People were very much at the heart of the service and staff, the registered manager and providers demonstrated a real commitment to provide outstanding person-centred care which achieved the best possible outcomes for people and help them reach their potential.

The feedback from relatives about the person-centred care and support being provided at Brightwater was exceptional.

The care service had been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance.

People had very personalised support plans that contained clear guidance for staff on how best to support them.

Staff had taken steps to provide information to people in a way in which they could understand allowing them to be as involved as possible in decisions about how their care was provided. This supported the requirements of the Accessible Information Standard.

All the relatives we spoke with were confident that they could approach staff or the registered manager with any concerns and that these would be dealt with.

Other areas were good.

Staff understood how to recognise and respond to abuse and had a good understanding of risks to people’s health and wellbeing. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

The home was clean, safe recruitment practices were followed and medicines were managed safely.

Staff received an effective induction, training and ongoing development.

Staff supported people with their dietary needs.

There were systems in place to support effective joint working with other professionals and agencies and to ensure that people’s healthcare needs were met.

Staff supported people to maintain relationships that were important to them. People were encouraged to access the community and be engaged in meaningful activity.

People's choices were respected and staff consistently supported people in a way that maintained their independence. People were cared for with dignity and respect.

People, their relatives and staff were positive about the registered manager and their leadership of the service and there were systems in place to assess and monitor the quality and safety of the service.