13 January 2017
During a routine inspection
Headway East Sussex Ltd provides services commissioned by local authorities, or on a private basis to people who have an acquired brain injury. Registered as an outreach service it supports people in their own homes or local community. Support workers work with individuals to assist them to relearn basic skills they may have lost, help them with appointments, build their self-confidence and to enable them to take advantage of local facilities.
The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) 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.
People had individualised risk assessments that gave guidance to staff on keeping them safe whilst supporting them in regaining their confidence and re-learning their daily life skills. People’s safety was protected because staff were trained in safeguarding and knew how to keep people safe from avoidable harm. There was enough staff to safely meet people’s needs and staff had received appropriate training to support their role. The provider had policies and procedures in place for the recruitment of new staff.
People were able to express their views and be actively involved in making decisions about their care. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s care needs and received specific training to meet these needs. They sought people’s consent before providing care, and they understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Staff demonstrated empathy and were caring and respectful whilst discussing their role with us about the people they supported. They also showed us that they were respectful of people’s dignity and privacy. People’s needs had been identified prior to them starting to use the service, and were reviewed regularly. People were supported in a personalised way and they all had individualised support plans in place.
Staff said the management was fair and approachable, staff meetings were regular, to discuss people's needs and discuss any changes to the organisation or the way they worked. Staff were able to contribute to the meetings and make suggestions. Relatives said the management was very good; the manager was always available and, they would be happy to talk to them if they had any concerns. Staff were supported in their role and to take part in the development of the service. Regular audits and surveys were carried out to monitor and manage the quality of the service.