CQC rates Brighouse care home outstanding in first inspection
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated The Brambles Apartments in Brighouse as outstanding following its first inspection in July.
The Brambles Apartments, run by Bridge Community Care Limited, provides accommodation and personal care for up to seven people with a learning disability and other complex health needs.
CQC assessed the service using its right support, right care, right culture guidance. This guidance assesses whether a service guarantees autistic people and people with a learning disability the respect, equality, dignity, choice, independence and access to local communities that most people are able to take for granted.
CQC has rated how effective, caring and well-led the service is as outstanding. Safe and responsive is rated as good.
Victoria Marsden, deputy director of adult social care in the north region, said: “We know that outstanding services are those where people receive truly person-centred support, and that’s exactly what we found at The Brambles Apartments.
“People, relatives and professionals were overwhelmingly positive about the caring culture and high-quality support provided. Staff understood people’s preferences and aspirations and used this knowledge to deliver highly personalised care which promoted people’s wellbeing, independence and gave them positive outcomes.
“For example, one person loved Doctor Who, so staff built a Tardis in the garden. Someone else enjoyed arts and crafts, so staff helped them paint artwork on the garden fences. This showed how much the service cared about people's interests and went out of their way to make them happen.
“The home also made sure people were kept safe. Staff talked with someone, their relatives, and relevant professionals about them damaging things when they were stressed. As a result, the home put safety measures in place, such as securing furniture and fittings, adding protective covers to windows and electrical switches, and giving them access to a secure, enclosed garden. These changes helped reduce the person's distress, kept them safer, and helped them feel more secure overall.
“We also heard about someone who was moving into the home from hospital. Staff regularly visited them, so they could get to know each other, and understand their needs and preferences before they moved in. They went above and beyond the usual discharge planning process to help achieve a safe and seamless transition.
“Everyone at The Brambles Apartments should be proud of this report, which reflects the outstanding, person-centred care they’re providing. Other services should look to this report to see if there’s anything to learn from it.”
Inspectors found that staff were providing exceptionally kind, compassionate care. They knew people extremely well, and consistently treated them with dignity, respect and empathy.
Inspectors also found that the service supported people to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.
Inspectors say the service ensured that people were consistently supported by two members of staff, to ensure their needs were met safely and effectively in line with their care plan. Also, inspectors observed staff working seamlessly together, engaging positively with people in a way that was supportive and respectful, without being intrusive.
And the report says that staff told inspectors that they felt listened to. There was a notice board in the staff area, which showed what staff had said and the actions leaders had taken to improve the standard of care and support.
The report will be published on CQC’s website in the coming days.