Bronte View

Updated 16 March 2018

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.

The inspection took place on 30 January 2018 and 2 February 2018 and was unannounced.

The inspection team consisted of two adult social care inspectors and an expert-by-experience on 30 January 2018 and two adult social care inspectors on 2 February 2018. An expert-by-experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert-by-experience used on this occasion had experience of working with people with learning disabilities.

Prior to our inspection we reviewed the information we held about the service. This included looking at the information we had received about the service and statutory notifications we had received from the service. We contacted the local authority commissioners and safeguarding teams to ascertain their views on the service. The provider had completed a Provider Information Return. This is information we require providers to send us at least once annually 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.

During our inspection we spoke with nine people who used the service and two relatives, one of whom we spoke with on the telephone, the two registered managers for Three Sisters and Bronte View, 10 care staff members and three health care professionals. We looked at how peoples' medicines were managed, looked at elements of six people's care records, observed a staff meeting at Three Sisters and reviewed other records relating to the management of the service such as quality assurance audits, staff recruitment files and training records.

Updated 16 March 2018

Three Sisters and Bronte View is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Three Sisters and Bronte View accommodates up to 17 people with a learning disability across two separate units, each of which have separate adapted facilities. One of the units specialises in providing more independent care to people living in one bedroomed apartments.

The care service has been developed and designed in line with the values that underpin the Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These values include choice, promotion of independence and inclusion. People with learning disabilities and autism using the service can live as ordinary a life as any citizen.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and on-going monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

It was clear from what people and the relatives we spoke with said that the service met their needs. People who lived at the home were happy with the support they received and told us they felt safe.

Medication was managed safely and people received the medicines they needed to keep them well. People had access to a range of health and social care professionals and people had health passports in place which gave staff clear information about their physical and emotional needs and the support they required.

Staff received appropriate support and training to do their job role and staff spoken with told us the registered managers were supportive and managed the service well. People and the relatives we spoke with agreed with this. Staff were recruited safely and sufficient staff were deployed to meet people’s care and support needs.

People’s care records were person centred, detailed and gave clear information about people’s care and support needs including assessed risks and personal preferences.

It was clear people felt relaxed and comfortable in the company of staff. Staff knew people’s care and support needs well and good relationships had developed. The atmosphere at the home was relaxed and inclusive. People and their relatives told us staff and the registered manager were kind, caring and supportive.

We observed and people told us they got enough to eat and drink and that they had a choice of what food they wanted to eat.

People had access to a diverse range of person centred activities which were social and educational in nature. This enabled people to develop or maintain life skills and independence at the same time as having good fun.

People are supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff support them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service support this practice.

During our visit, we had no concerns about people's care or the service itself. We found the home to be well-run with a committed and caring staff team.

There were a range of effective mechanisms in place to monitor the quality and safety of the

Service. The views of people and staff were regularly sought by the registered managers to check and improve the quality of the service.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.