Real Life Options - 18 Bisley Drive

Updated 22 June 2023

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 1 inspector and 1 Expert by Experience.

An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone

Service and service type

Real Life Options-18,Bisley Drive is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Real Life Options-18,Bisley Drive is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

Inspection activity started on 11 April 2023 and ended on 26 April 2023. We visited the service on 11 April 2023.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During the inspection we spoke with 4 people who used the service and 18 relatives about their experience of the care provided. Not everyone who used the service communicated verbally or wished to speak, therefore they gave us permission to speak with their relatives on the telephone. We spoke with 7 members of staff including the registered manager, service lead and 5 support workers. We received feedback from 5 health and social care professionals.

We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

Updated 22 June 2023

About the service

Real Life Options-18,Bisley Drive is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 7 people with a learning disability or Autism Spectrum condition. The service provides short term, respite care. At the time of our inspection there were 4 people using the service.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices and independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ is the guidance CQC follows to make assessments and judgements about services supporting people with a learning disability and autistic people and providers must have regard to it.

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. The service was flexible and adapted to people's changing needs and wishes and promoted their independence. Care was completely centred and tailored to each individual. A relative commented, “[Name] likes going out and about, but staff will respect whatever [Name] wants to do, even if that means some private time.”

Risk assessments were in place. They identified current risks to the person as well as ways for staff to minimise or appropriately manage those risks, including positive risk taking. Staffing capacity was sufficient and staff deployment was effective to ensure people's needs were met in a safe, timely and consistent way. A relative commented, “Staff are friendly and professional, they do care about the people. They have formed a relationship with us as family members. The staff are regular and the continuity helps.”

Systems were in place for people to receive their medicines in a safe way. Staff were encouraged to continue their professional development in order to progress and provide the best outcomes for people. Staff demonstrated that they really understood the importance and benefits of providing person-centred care. The service was following safe infection prevention and control procedures to keep people safe.

Right Care

The staff team supported some people with complex needs. People's diversity as unique individuals with their own needs was well-respected by staff. The staff team knew people extremely well and provided support discreetly and with compassion. People’s privacy was respected, and people were supported to maintain contact with relatives and friends. There was clear evidence of collaborative working and excellent communication with other professionals to help meet people's needs and enhance their quality of life. Everyone complimented and highly praised the staff team. Comments from relatives included, “Staff are all spot on, they are all great” and “It’s fabulous, they are brilliant staff there. I could go on all week, to tell you how much I love that service. It’s just a fantastic place, I can’t find anything wrong with them. I could go there myself for a holiday. I know [Name] is being really well looked after.” People were encouraged and supported to lead as fulfilled a life as possible. They were supported to follow their dreams and aspirations. A relative said, “[Name] is probably out nearly every day when they’re there, they have a better social life than I have.”

Right Culture

Real Life Options-18,Bisley Drive was exceptionally well led. The provider's vision and values were truly person-centred to make sure people were at the heart of the service. This vision was driven by the exceptional leadership of the registered manager and management team. 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 management team were very approachable and they were supported in their role. There was a very strong and effective governance system in place. People, relatives and staff were very confident about approaching the management team if they needed to. They recognised that their views and feedback were valued and respected and consistently used to support quality service development. Strong 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 19 October 2017).

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Real Life Options-18,Bisley Drive on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.