Flexible Support Options Limited (Brilan)

Updated 3 January 2024

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by an inspector and an expert by experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Flexible Support Options Limited (Brilan) is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as single package dependent on their registration with us. Flexible Support Options Limited (Brilan) is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

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

The inspection was unannounced.

What we did before inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. 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. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection and took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report.

During the inspection

We met with 4 people who used the service and contacted 3 relatives. We spoke with the registered manager and 3 support workers. We also emailed the full staff complement and 6 external healthcare professionals to ask their views about the service and the majority responded.

We reviewed a range of records. This included 2 people’s care records, medicine records and staff files. We looked at a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including audits.

Updated 3 January 2024

About the service

Flexible Support Options Limited (Brilan) is a residential service providing personal care for up to 4 people with a learning disability or mental health needs. At the time of the inspection there were 4 people living at the service. The service is located on the lower ground floor of a care home operated by a different care provider.

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

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.

Right Support

People were supported to have maximum possible choice, control and independence. Staff supported people to make decisions following best practice in decision-making. Staff communicated with people in ways that met their needs. Staff focused on people’s strengths and promoted what they could do, so people had a fulfilling and meaningful everyday life. Staff supported people to achieve their aspirations and goals. People were supported safely with medicines. Infection prevention and control practices reflected current guidance. Risk assessments were in place, and it was very evident staff had ensured they fully understood the needs of people. The provider had reviewed the environment and put in place a refurbishment plan, which would lead to the complete redecorating of the home, including installation of a new kitchen and windows. Some of this work had commenced.

Right Care

People received kind and compassionate care. Staff protected and respected people’s privacy and dignity. They understood and responded to people’s individual needs. Staff understood how to protect people from poor care and abuse. Staff had training on how to recognise and report abuse and they knew how to apply it. The service had enough appropriately skilled staff to meet people’s needs and keep them safe. The service worked well with other agencies to do so. People’s care, treatment and support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.

Right culture

People were supported by staff who understood best practice in relation to the wide range of strengths, impairments or sensitivities people with a learning disability and/or autistic people may have. This meant people received compassionate and empowering care that was tailored to their needs. Staff placed people’s wishes, needs and rights at the heart of everything they did. Staff were aware of and were working to best practice guidance for supporting people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

Recently the provider had worked collaboratively with the owner who operated the care home above them to review potential impacts this might have on this service, in terms of both the structural integrity of the building and how to support the other owner when continuing the operation of their care home if mechanical failures occurred such as a lift breaking down. Any potential impacts were discussed with people and they agreed actions such as hot lock food trolleys being wheeled down the corridor whilst repairs were made could be allowed.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was good (published 15 August 2018).

Why we inspected

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

This report only covers our findings in relation to the key questions safe and well-led. For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Flexible Support Options Limited (Brilan) on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.