Archived: Future Home Care Limited Birches

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.

Care plans were centred on the person and tailored to their individual needs and preferences. We saw how staff supported one person when they arrived at the service. We saw that this person was relaxed and happy to communicate with staff who understood and responded appropriately.

People were protected from the risk of abuse.

The service was flexible in providing enough staff to meet the differing numbers, needs and activities of people who used the service. Staff were qualified and trained and knew how to meet people’s needs.

People who used the service and their relatives and/or representatives were asked for their views about the service provided. We saw that one person was relaxed and able to easily communicate their feelings to staff, who acted upon these. We saw that staff were patient and encouraged this person to do what they could for themselves and allowed them time to express themself.

In this report, the name of the registered manager appears who was not in post and not managing the regulatory activities at the service at the time of our inspection. Their name appears because they were still registered with us at the time of our inspection. The registered manager had recently left the provider’s employment. People who used the service had their needs met, as the service was being managed temporarily by an appropriate person with the necessary qualifications, skills and experience.

People’s needs were assessed with the aim to plan and deliver care and treatment according to their individual needs. We saw one person enjoyed their lunch, which staff had prepared with foods they preferred from their knowledge of their care plan. Care and treatment was planned and delivered with the aim of ensuring people’s safety and welfare. Staff described the measures put in place with the aim to reduce any foreseeable risks for people around activities, such as, going out or bathing.

The provider had taken steps to provide care in an environment that was suitably designed and adequately maintained. Significant improvements had been made to the outside of the environment. Facilities were suitable for people with restricted mobility.

Staff were supported through supervision and training which helped them to provide more effective care for people who used the service. Staff were able, from time to time, to obtain further relevant qualifications, which were appropriate for their role.

People who used the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and these were acted upon. There were systems in place to monitor and assess the quality of the service provided.