Archived: The Brambles

The Brambles is a single storey building situated close to Taunton town centre. The home can accommodate up to seven people and it specialises in providing care to adults who have a learning disability. The home has a range of aids and adaptations in place to assist people who have mobility difficulties. All bedrooms are for single occupancy. The home is staffed 24 hours a day.

At the time of our inspection there were seven people living at the home. The people we met with had complex physical and learning disabilities and were not able to tell us about their experiences of life at the home. We therefore used our observations of care and our discussions with staff to help form our judgements.

There was a registered manager in post. 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.

The registered manager was not available for this inspection; however information sent to us prior to the inspection told us the registered manager had a clear vision for the service. This was also confirmed by the staff we spoke with.

People were supported by a caring staff team who knew them well. Staff morale was good and there was a happy and relaxed atmosphere in the home.

Routines in the home were flexible and were based around the needs and preferences of the people who lived there. People were able to plan their day with staff and they were supported to access social and leisure activities in the home and local community.

The home was a safe place for people. Staffing levels were good and staff understood people’s needs and provided the care and support they needed.

Staff knew how to recognise and report abuse. They had received training in safeguarding adults from abuse and they knew the procedures to follow if they had concerns.

People’s health care needs were monitored and met. People received good support from health and social care professionals. Staff were skilled at communicating with people, especially if

people were unable to communicate verbally.

People were unable to look after their own medicines. Staff made sure medicines were stored securely and there were sufficient supplies of medicines. People received their medicines when they needed them.

People were always asked for their consent before staff assisted them with any tasks and staff knew the procedures to follow to make sure people’s legal and human rights were protected.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided.

People's rights were protected. The staff we spoke with demonstrated a good understanding of how to support people to make decisions. They knew the procedures to follow where an individual lacked the capacity to consent to their care and treatment.

The staff we spoke with had a very good understanding about the needs and preferences of the people they supported. Staff interactions were kind and professional and people appeared very comfortable with the staff that supported them.

People's health care needs had been monitored and appropriately responded to. Information about people's health needs and contact with health and social care professionals had been recorded.

Staff recruitment procedures minimised risks to the people who lived at the home. Staff felt well supported and systems were in place to ensure that staff received up to date training appropriate to their role and the people they supported.

We found all areas of the home to be well maintained. The standard of d'cor and furnishings were good and helped to promote a homely feel. People had access to the specialised equipment they needed.

Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service people received.

Staff were skilled in recognising and responding to people who were unable to express their needs and wishes verbally. They recognised changes in behaviours which indicated that an individual may be unhappy or anxious.

Information about people's health needs and contact with health and social care professionals had been recorded.

We saw that people had been provided with opportunities to be involved in a range of activities based on their preferences. These included individual and group activities.

We were informed that there was nobody at the home who was able to manage their medicines but we saw that staff promoted a level of independence based on the needs and abilities of each person.

We observed that staff were competent and professional in their interactions with people who lived at the home.

The home had a complaints procedure which provided people who used the service and their representatives with clear information about how to raise any concerns and of how their concerns would be managed. The complaints procedure had also been produced in symbol format so that it was accessible and appropriate for people who used the service.