Archived: Future Home Care Limited Birches

Updated 10 November 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was carried out to check 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 was a comprehensive inspection.

The inspection took place on 28 September 2017 and was announced. We gave the provider two days’ notice of the inspection because there are times that people may not be accommodated in the service. We needed to be sure that they would be available to speak with us. The inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Before our inspection we looked at records that were sent to us by the registered manager and the local authority to inform us of significant changes and events. We also reviewed our previous inspection report, and the Provider Information Return (PIR) that the registered manager had completed. The PIR is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and what improvements they plan to make. We also contacted the local authority safeguarding adults and commissioning teams to receive feedback on the service.

At the time of our inspection the three people staying at the service were not able to speak to us, but we were able to interact with them with staff member’s assistance. We spoke with three people’s relatives, the registered manager, a senior carer and a carer. We looked at four sets of records relating to people’s support, and a range of assessments of needs and risks. We reviewed documentation that related to staff management and to the monitoring, safety and quality of the service. We looked at four staff recruitment files and sampled the service's policies and procedures.

Updated 10 November 2017

This inspection took place on 28 September 2017. We gave the provider two days’ notice of the inspection because there are times that people may not be accommodated in the service. We needed to be sure that they would be available to speak with us.

We last inspected the service on 11 August 2015 when we rated the service Good. At this inspection we found the service remained Good and met all regulations.

Future Home Care Limited Birches (referred to as Birches in this report) provides a respite service providing personal care and accommodation for up to three people with learning disabilities, who may have autistic spectrum disorders, sensory impairment and/or a physical disability. Birches is located in a specially adapted bungalow set in a quiet residential area in Tonbridge. Birches comprised of three good sized bedrooms that were equipped with, televisions and a ceiling track hoist system. There was a lounge/diner with direct access to an enclosed private garden. The kitchen was spacious user friendly. The property also had a large adapted bathroom with ceiling tracking hoist and wet room facilities and a sensory room equipped with lights, tactile objects, music, projectors and ceiling track hoist.

People were safe. Staff understood the importance of people's safety and knew how to report any concerns they might have. Risks to people's health, safety and wellbeing had been assessed and plans were in place, and there were suitable arrangements in place for the safe storage, receipt and management of people’s medicines.

There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people’s needs and staff knew them well and had built up good relationships. The registered provider had effective recruitment procedures in place.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

Staff treated people as individuals with dignity and respect. Staff were knowledgeable about people's likes, dislikes, preferences and care needs. Staff were skilled to approach people in different ways to suit the person and communicate in a calm and friendly manner which people responded to positively.

People’s health was monitored and referrals were made to health services in an appropriate and timely manner. Any recommendations made by health care professionals were acted upon and incorporated into peoples' care plans. People with complex care needs were given excellent care and the service was used as a first point of call for local health commissioners.

People who wanted to be occupied had busy lifestyles which reflected their lifestyle choices and likes and dislikes. People’s privacy and dignity were respected and upheld by staff who valued people’s unique characters. Staff were kind and caring and treated people with dignity and respect. Good interactions were seen throughout our inspection, such as staff sitting and talking with people as equals. People could have visitors from family and friends whenever they wanted.

People received a person centred service that enabled them to live active and meaningful lives in the way they wanted. People led full and varied lives and were supported with a variety of activities often with one to one support. Complaints were used as a means of improving the service and people felt confident that any concerns would be taken seriously should they make a complaint.

There was an open, transparent culture and good communication within the staff team. Staff spoke highly of the registered manager and their leadership style. The management team had positive relationships with the care staff.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.