We carried out a review of the data available to us about Brighter Days Staffordshire Ltd on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Brighter Days Staffordshire Ltd, you can give feedback on this service.
Brighter Days Staffordshire Limited is a supported living service providing personal care to three younger adults with a learning disability or autism at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to three people living in their own house. There was a room for staff on so called ‘sleep-in’ shifts during the night, but the house was respected and maintained as people’s own tenancy.
The service has been developed and designed in line with the principles and values that underpin Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. This ensures that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes. The principles reflect the need for people with learning disabilities and/or autism to live meaningful lives that include control, choice, and independence. People using the service receive planned and co-ordinated person-centred support that is appropriate and inclusive for them.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People’s experience of using the service was very positive and people felt safe with support from staff. Within the service, staff were referred to as Personal Assistants (PAs) and we have used this term throughout the report. Feedback from people, relatives and PAs told us that this was a very settled service where people felt comfortable. Together, everyone involved in the service had created a supportive, family-like atmosphere and positive outcomes were achieved. We considered with the team that to continuously develop the service, it would be beneficial to stay informed of current best practice models. We made a recommendation regarding this.
Support from PAs was flexible around people’s interests, needs and choices. The team of PAs had remained consistent since our last inspection and no new staff had started. This had a positive impact on the stability of people’s care and support. People and PAs knew each other well, which was clear from the personalised ways in which they interacted, as well as the smiles and laughter shared.
People were actively involved in their community, through things they enjoyed doing. This included volunteering in care homes, regularly visiting the local pub or holding a weekly music club for others in the community to attend. People, families and PAs were involved in the development of the service through regular reviews and meetings.
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 policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
The service applied the principles and values of Registering the Right Support and other best practice guidance. These ensure that people who use the service can live as full a life as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes that include control, choice and independence. The outcomes for people using the service reflected the principles and values of Registering the Right Support by promoting choice and control, independence and inclusion. People's support focused on them having as many opportunities as possible for them to gain new skills and become more independent.
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 14 February 2017).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
The service was registered to provide personal care for people. Three people with a learning disability were supported by the provider in their own shared home. People referred to the staff members as personal assistants.
There was a registered manager in the service. 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.
People made decisions about their care and their personal assistants helped them to understand the information they needed to make informed decisions. The personal assistants sought people’s consent before they provided care and they were helped to make decisions which were in their best interests.
People were protected from the risks of abuse because the personal assistants understood where harm may be caused and knew what action to take. The personal assistants supported people to understand any risks to prevent avoidable harm. Where people were concerned about their safety they knew who to speak with.
People kept their medicines in the bedroom and were helped to understand what their medicines were for and to take responsibility for them. The personal assistants knew why people needed medicines and when these should be taken.
People received support from their personal assistant at the times that suited them to enable them to be involved with activities and do the things they enjoyed. People chose to work, continue with their education and be involved with activities they enjoyed. People’s health and wellbeing needs were monitored and they were supported to organise and attend health appointments as required.
People were treated with kindness, compassion and respect and the personal assistants promoted their independence. People liked their personal assistants who supported them and they had developed good relationships. People maintained relationships with their families and friends.
The personal assistants listened to people’s views about their care and people were able to influence the development of the service. People knew how to complain and concerns were responded to.
The registered manager assessed and monitored the quality of care to ensure standards were met and maintained. They understood the requirements of their registration with us and informed us of information that we needed to know.
The service was registered to provide personal care for people. Three people with a learning disability were supported by the provider in their own shared home.
The service had a registered manager. 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.
People chose how to spend their time and staff sought people’s consent before they provided care and support. Some people did not have capacity to make certain important decisions. It was not clear whether people should make the decision for themselves or whether some decisions should be made in their best interests. We have asked the provider to make improvements.
People were supported by staff when out and they told us they were able to take responsible risks but felt safe and well supported. The staff knew how to reduce avoidable risk to prevent harm and understood how to recognise and report any abuse. People told us they were supported to develop their independence and were provided with opportunities to develop their interests and join in social activities. Staffing levels were sufficient and flexible to support people to do the activities they wanted to do.
People were supported to be responsible for their medicines and they knew why they needed their medicines to keep well. People accessed health care where needed and when they were unwell or had concerns.
Staff knew people well and were trained and competent to meet people’s needs. Staff were supported and supervised in their roles by the manager. People had chosen the staff they wanted to work with them and staff had developed good relationships with people. The staff were kind and caring in their approach and people’s privacy and dignity were respected.
People were involved in the planning and review of their care and support and family members continued to play an important role. Where people had any concerns they were able to make a complaint and this was responded to.
People were able to choose who to develop and maintain relationships with and visited their families and friends. People were treated with kindness and respect and staff promoted people’s independence and right to privacy. People were helped to prepare and cook their own meals and people were responsible for shopping and planning their meals. People could choose their own food and drink and were supported to eat healthily.
Systems were in place to assess and monitor the quality of the service. People and staff were encouraged to raise any views about the service to review how improvements could be made. The manager promoted an open culture which put people at the heart of the service.
You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of the report.