Broom Lane

Updated 20 September 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 checked 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 an announced inspection carried out 19 and 20 July 2017. Due to the nature of the service, we gave 24 hours’ notice. The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors.

Prior to the inspection the registered provider was asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. The registered manager had fully completed this form and returned it to CQC in a timely manner.

We looked at the notifications we had received for this service and reviewed all the intelligence CQC had received. We looked at the risk level for this service. We contacted external professionals from Manchester City Council and NHS community services. We reviewed all of this information to help us make a judgement about this service.

We spoke with five people who used the service, five relatives and four external health and social care professionals. We also spoke with the registered manager, area team leader, regional manager/clinical lead, director of health & social care, speech and language therapist, assistant practitioner, team leader, five support workers and an external behavioural analyst. Feedback via email was received from the national autistic society and a relative of a person who used the service.

To help us assess how people's support was being planned and delivered we reviewed five people's support records and associated documentation.

We reviewed six staff files, three of whom were newly recruited. We looked at maintenance files and a selection of records which monitored the safety and quality of the service.

Updated 20 September 2017

This was an announced inspection carried out on the 19 and 20 July 2017. We last inspected the service on 16 July 2014. At that time, the service was rated ‘Good’ across each of the five key questions.

Broom Lane, part of City Care Partnership, provides high quality person-centred support to people aged 18 and over living with autism and/or a learning disability. Modern purpose built accommodation and communal facilities are provided in partnership with a Registered Social Landlord.

There was a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC 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.

Broom Lane is registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to provide support for up to 18 people. At the time of our inspection visit, 17 people were supported and the service had one vacancy. Located in Levenshulme, the service benefits from excellent transport links to Manchester City Centre and Stockport.

The model of support offered at Broom Lane provides a unique combination of transition services with varied supported living accommodation. Five apartments were designed for people with significant social communication issues and who cannot share space easily with others. 24 hour support is available for these people. Eight apartments are designed to support individuals who are able to manage quite independently, still require periodic support through the day, but who do not necessarily need support at night. If support is needed at night, staff are readily available. These apartments are similar in design to mainstream social housing apartments to ease people’s transition into mainstream housing where it is appropriate. The shared house, comprising of two studio flats and three single occupancy bedrooms, was designed for younger people entering services.

Due to the nature of the service provided at Broom Lane we gave 24 hours’ notice. This enabled the service to produce a ‘social story.’ Social stories are a method of sharing information using visual supports. This helped people who used the service at Broom Lane understand why we were visiting their home.

There was a truly open and welcoming atmosphere on entering the premises. The registered manager, staff and people who used the service at Broom Lane were enthusiastic about the inspection visit and were eager to share experiences. One person who used the service gave the inspection team an interesting and engaging audio visual presentation of their photographic skills.

Everyone we spoke with confirmed they considered Broom Lane to be a safe place to live. The service had an ethos of ‘Manage Risk, Maximise Life.’ This ethos was brought to life in the way people were supported to have as much freedom of choice in their lives as possible.

People who used the service at Broom Lane were supported by well trained and highly skilled staff. The service demonstrated industry leading best practice through continued professional accreditation with The National Autistic Society. It was strikingly apparent that the service had the right people, doing the right job at the right time. This meant the service was highly effective in responding to people’s individual needs.

A comprehensive induction and training programme was in place for new staff and a framework for continuous professional development was well embedded for established staff. All new employees were required to sign-up to complete the Care Certificate. We saw how the service had adapted the Care Certificate syllabus in order to make it more relevant for supporting people living with autism and learning disabilities.

The services ethos, vision and values promoted people’s rights to make choices and live fulfilled and valued lives. This was well reflected in the exceptional care and support people received from a committed, passionate and caring group of staff. Staff demonstrating kindness, patience and respect and people were given time to express themselves fully. Staff knew people well and interactions were relaxed. People who used the service spoke with great fondness and affection about the staff.

The open, inclusive and supportive nature of the service meant that promoting equality and diversity and respecting people’s human rights was a golden thread that ran through every aspect of the service.

Broom Lane benefited from a long-serving and well established management team. The registered manager was well supported by area team leaders and benefited from the input of an experienced regional manager. At provider level, the director of health & social care maintained oversight and knew the service well.

The registered manager and the wider leadership team were inspiring and dedicated to providing support which met the highest of standards. They strived for excellence through collaboration; they were passionate and dedicated to providing an outstanding service to people. They led with a dynamic approach and continually reflected on how to improve the service further. They demonstrated a strong and supportive leadership style, seeking feedback in order to further improve what was offered. The culture of the service was open, transparent and progressive. All the staff were committed to continuous improvement of the service.

The service had renewed its commitment to the Health Charter for Social Care Providers. This is a national evidence based initiative designed to tackle health inequalities that people with learning disabilities experience. The service explored innovative ways to ensure people maintained good health. This meant people’s health outcomes were greatly improved.

A flagship initiative for the service was the continued development of Yew Tree Activity Hub. This community based resource offered a comprehensive programme of activities that were suited to people who enjoyed more physical work or for those who flourished by being creative and expressive.

The provider was exceptional at developing new and innovative ways to enable people who used their network of services to access inclusive and purposeful paid and unpaid employment opportunities.

People were exceptionally well supported when transitioning between services. This included support provided before a person moved into the service and throughout their placement.

People were actively encouraged to give their views and raise concerns or complaints. There was a clear, unambiguous complaints policy and procedure that was accessible to everyone. Easy-to-read documentation was used to good effect and people’s complaints were captured effectively and clear explanations given as to how the matter would be resolved.

People received support which was in line with their needs and preferences. People had a wide range of individual assessments tailored to meet the needs of people living with autism and/or a learning disability. This included comprehensive assessments and support plans centred around promoting independence. For example behaviour support, communication, sensory issues, a wide range of activities and employment opportunities.

Staff demonstrated an in-depth awareness of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and associated Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) within a community setting.

Information and explanations was provided to people through the use of ‘social stories’. Social stories are a method of sharing information using visual supports. These were used to excellent effect at Broom Lane, were highly person centred and utilised in a variety of innovative ways.