Archived: Bromley LD Services

Updated 25 May 2021

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 provides care and support to people living in three ‘supported living’ settings, so that they can live as independently as possible. People’s care and housing are provided under separate contractual agreements. CQC does not regulate premises used for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s personal care and support.

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

We gave the service 48 hours’ notice of the inspection. 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 reviewed information we had received about the service. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We observed how people were supported and we spoke with the relatives of three people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with two members of staff, the registered manager and the area manager. We reviewed a range of records. This included two people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

After the inspection

We continued to seek clarification from the registered manager to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records.

Updated 25 May 2021

About the service

Bromley LD Services provides care and support to people living in a supported living setting. At the time of the inspection nine people were living in three bungalows that had been adapted to meet their needs. CQC does not regulate premises for supported living; this inspection looked at people’s care and support.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right Support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people.

We found the outcomes for people using this service reflected the principles and values of Right support, right care, right culture. These included promotion of choice and control, inclusion and independence. People’s support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.

Appropriate recruitment checks had taken place before staff started work and there were enough staff available to meet people’s needs. The service had safeguarding and whistleblowing policies and procedures in place and staff had a clear understanding of these procedures. Risks to people had been assessed to ensure their needs were safely met. People’s medicines were managed safely. Staff were following government guidance in relation to infection prevention and control. They had received training on COVID 19 and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The service had contingency plans in place that made provisions for safe care in the event of an emergency, or outbreak of COVID 19.

People’s care and support needs were assessed before they started to use the service. Staff had the skills, knowledge and experience to support people appropriately. Staff were supported through regular training and supervision. People were encouraged to maintain a healthy balanced diet and they had access to health care professionals when they needed them. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People and their relatives had been consulted about their care and support needs. The service had a complaints procedure in place. There were procedures in place to make sure people had access to end of life care and support if it was required.

The registered manager and staff worked in partnership with health and social care providers to deliver an effective service. There were systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service and any learning was identified and acted on. The provider took people, their relatives and staffs views into account through satisfaction surveys. Staff told us enjoyed working at the service and said they received good support from the registered manager.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 25 July 2019 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

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.