Bradbury Outreach Services

Updated 17 January 2020

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

This inspection was carried out by one inspector.

Service and service type

This service is a domiciliary care agency. It provides personal care to people living in their own homes.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced. This was because it is a small service and we needed to be sure that the provider or registered manager would be in the office to support the inspection.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections.

We reviewed all other information available to us, including notifications. Notifications are information about specific events the provider is required to send us by law.

During the inspection

During the inspection we spoke with the registered manager and office manager. We also met with one person receiving support and their support worker.

We reviewed care plans for the three people receiving support with personal care. We reviewed other records relating to the running of the service such as staff training, recruitment records and quality assurance information.

After the inspection

We contacted the families of all the people being supported and received feedback from one. We received feedback from four members of staff.

Updated 17 January 2020

Bradbury outreach is a service providing personal care and support to people with a learning disability. Support is a mixture of regular, planned hours and respite care.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection three people received support with personal care.

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 and what we found

People received a good service provided by staff who were kind, caring and committed. Families told us they were happy with the support and that communication was good. People were supported to take part in a range of activities of their choice. One person told us how they liked to go to cafes with their support worker. We also heard about various activities at a local farm that people were supported to take part in.

People were safe. The service did face some challenges with recruitment and staffing and there were occasions when families reported that unplanned absence of staff had not been covered. However, in the main there were sufficient staff to cover the needs of the care packages. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks were carried out on newly recruited staff before they began working for the agency. For one person we noted that the provider’s recruitment policy of having two references in place prior to commencing work had not been adhered to. This was discussed with the registered manager.

Arrangements were in place for the safe administration of medicines. There was good communication in place between families and staff to ensure medicines were safely managed.

Staff were well supported in their training and supervision and felt comfortable raising any issues with senior staff. Training covered a range of subjects relevant to the needs of people using the service. Staff told us they were happy and proud to work for the service.

Care was person centred and took account of individual needs and preferences. Care plans reflected this. Staff worked with people consistently and got to know them well. We saw how staff understood people’s communication needs, for example by using Makaton signs. There was a procedure in place to manage complaints. There had been no formal complaints in the last 12 months relating to the regulated activity of personal care.

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.

The service was well led. The service was person centred in nature and built around people’s individual needs. There was a clear management structure in place and senior staff had delegated responsibilities to support the registered manager in their role. There were systems in place to check the quality of the service provided.

The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence.

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 this service was Good (published 30 June 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Bradbury Outreach on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.