We carried out a review of the data available to us about Burnfoot Court on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Burnfoot Court, you can give feedback on this service.
About the service
Burnfoot Court is a supported living service providing personal care to people in their own homes. The service provides support to younger adults with a learning disability or autism spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were 6 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service was able to demonstrate how they were meeting the underpinning principles of Right support, right care, right culture.
Right Support
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.
Staff worked hard to balance keeping the person safe, but in the least restrictive way. The service used Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) to help ensure there were positive strategies in place. PBS is a person-centred framework for providing support to people with a learning disability, and/or autism, including those with mental health conditions, who have, or may be at risk of developing, behaviours that challenge.
People were supported to make choices and achieve their aspirations.
People had opportunities to be part of the community.
People were provided with person-centred care that enabled them to develop skills and behaviours to live more independent lives.
People were supported to access specialist health and social care support.
A professional commented, “My opinion is that the staff members are very caring, trustworthy, hardworking and effective in meeting the service users’ needs. I think the overall service is excellent.”
Right Care
Staff were appropriately skilled.
Care was person-centred and promoted people’s dignity, privacy and human rights.
People and most relatives were complimentary about the care provided by staff. They trusted the staff who supported them. They said staff were kind, caring and supportive of people and their families. A relative told us, “I really am happy with the care and I think [Name] would say that as well.”
Staff understood people's preferred ways of communicating.
Staff had received safeguarding training and were clear on how and when to raise their concerns. Where appropriate, actions were taken to keep people safe.
Staff followed effective processes to assess and provide the support people needed to take their medicines safely.
People could take part in activities and follow interests that were tailored to them. They had the opportunity to try new activities.
There were sufficient staff to support people safely. There were a number of staff vacancies and the provider had a contingency plan in place to ensure people were safely and effectively supported, with minimum disruption to their lives.
We have made a recommendation that the provider continues with their recruitment drive to employ permanent staff.
People's support plans reflected their range of needs and this promoted their wellbeing and enjoyment of life.
Right Culture
The ethos, values, attitudes and behaviours of leaders and care staff ensured people using services lead confident, inclusive and empowered lives.
There was a positive atmosphere at the service. Staff spoke very positively about working at the service and the people they cared for. Staff said the manager was very approachable and they were supported in their role.
A governance system was in place to monitor the quality of the service through audits and feedback received from people, their relatives, staff and external agencies. Processes were in place to manage and respond to complaints and concerns.
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 12 December 2019).
Why we inspected
We received concerns in relation to staffing and people’s care. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, caring and well-led only.
We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe, caring and well-led sections of this full report.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Burnfoot Court on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.
Burnfoot Court is a supported living service providing personal care to six younger adults living with autism or a related condition. At the time of inspection five people were using the service.
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
The vision of the service reflected these principles ensuring people with learning disabilities have opportunities and choice and are supported to achieve their aspirations. Staff adopted the ethos to provide person-centred care that enable individuals to develop skills and behaviours to live independent lives.
There was an emphasis on continuous learning and improvement. The provider and work force were involved in range of initiatives to progress service delivery. People benefited and achieved a much improved quality of life due to staff understanding of positive behaviour strategies when people may become distressed.
People were extremely well-cared for, relaxed and comfortable. Staff knew the people they were supporting very well and care was provided with exceptional patience and kindness. Staff ensured people's privacy and dignity were always respected.
The service was flexible and responsive to people's needs and was able to accommodate sudden changes to them. Records were personalised, up-to-date and accurately reflected people's care and support needs. Care was completely centred and tailored to each individual.
Systems were in place to encourage positive risk taking to maintain people's independence. Risk assessments identified current risks to the person as well as ways for staff to minimise or appropriately manage those risks. There were sufficient staff employed.
People using the service, their relatives and staff were confident about approaching the registered manager if they needed to. They were complimentary about the registered manager and the workforce.
The service was well-led. Staff went the extra mile to ensure people received care that helped them develop. There was clear evidence of collaborative working and excellent communication with other professionals to help meet people's needs.
People, relatives and staff were positive about the management of the service and felt valued and respected.
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 outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
There was a strong and effective governance system in place. Processes were in place to manage and respond to complaints and concerns.
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.
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.
This was the first inspection of the service since it was registered with the Care Quality Commission in 2015.
Burnfoot Court is registered to provide personal care to adults with learning disabilities. People are supported by staff to live independently in their own homes. The agency provides 24 hour personal care and support to some people with complex support needs. Different levels of support are provided dependent upon people's requirements. People are tenants of their home and pay rent for their accommodation which is leased from a housing association.
A registered manager was in place A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
Some people were unable to tell us about the service because of their complex needs. Other people could tell us they felt safe. Systems were in place to protect people and keep them safe. Robust vetting procedures were carried out when new staff were recruited. Staff had received training and had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Best Interest Decision Making, when people were unable to make decisions for themselves. There were other opportunities for staff to receive training to meet people's care needs.
People appeared content and relaxed with the staff who supported them. Staff knew the people they were supporting well and there were enough staff on duty to provide individual care to people. Care was provided with patience and kindness and people's privacy and dignity were respected. People were supported to become more independent, whatever their level of need. Care plans detailed how people wished to be supported and people were involved in making decisions about their care. Records gave detailed instructions to staff to help people learn new skills and become more independent.
People’s health needs were identified and staff worked with other professionals to ensure these were addressed. Arrangements for managing people’s medicines were safe. Appropriate processes were in place for the administration of medicines. Medicines records were accurate.
People were assisted by staff to plan their menu, shop for the ingredients and cook their own food. Other people received meals that had been cooked by staff. People were supported to be part of the local community. They were provided with a range of opportunities to follow their interests and hobbies and were encouraged to try new activities.
Staff told us the registered manager and management team were supportive and approachable. Communication was effective, ensuring people, their relatives and other relevant agencies were kept up to date about any changes in people's care and support needs and the running of the service.
A complaints procedure was available and relatives we spoke with said they knew how to complain if they needed to. People had the opportunity to give their views about the service. There was consultation with people and family members and their views were used to improve the service. The provider undertook a range of audits to check on the quality of care provided.