A team from Birmingham who support people living with learning disabilities, mental health needs and autism are celebrating after the Care Quality Commission recognised the excellent standard of care being provided to service users.
Supported Living Staffordshire, run by leading healthcare company Cygnet Health Care, is a service offering personal care to 22 people within their own homes across the West Midlands. In the CQC report, inspectors spoke to residents who said they “couldn’t be happier” with the standard of care they received.
Ashbrook is part of the supported living service in Staffordshire and only opened two years ago.
Service manager Leanne Squire said she couldn’t be happier with the inspection outcome.
She said: “I am so proud of all the staff at Ashbrook, who have worked incredibly hard since opening in 2020. Each staff member shows care, compassion and dedication.
“The whole team really do improve the lives of those we support.”
CQC inspectors completed an inspection in November to check the service was safe and well-led and it received positive feedback from the regulator, being awarded ‘Good’ across both domains. In the new report, inspectors concluded that the staff team was committed to providing a high standard of care to service users.
Praising the quality of care, the report read: “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 consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred care.”
Tenants at Ashbrook may have previously been in a hospital setting and be ready for a step down placement within the local community. The team work closely alongside each individual to build a picture of how they wish to live their lives, documenting goals and dreams and working alongside them to achieve these.
Each tenant is allocated an experienced and consistent staff team and training is bespoke to individual support needs which enables tenants to live as independently and safely as possible.
Inspectors concluded that residents were supported by enough suitable recruited staff who had received appropriate training and that polices within the home supported good practices, including infection control and safeguarding procedures. Care plans and risk assessments were in place and the report highlighted there were systems established to ensure people were receiving the support needed.
It added: “Staff enabled people to access specialist health and social care support in the community. People were happy with the caring support they received from staff. People were supported by a management and staff team which understood the holistic needs of supporting someone with autism or a learning disability.
“They worked closely with the person and relatives where appropriate to deliver appropriate care to people. They ensured the individual was at the forefront of this care, to deliver positive outcomes for people.”
During the inspection, the CQC spoke with staff, service users and their loved ones.
The report read: “People and relatives were happy with the support and service they received. One person said, ‘I am 100% happy and I couldn’t be happier with the service here. The staff are kind and caring.’ Another person told us, “I feel like if I have a bad day, I am able to express this. They [staff] help me feel better and think positive.’”
Inspectors also positively highlighted the collaboration between staff and relatives which saw loved ones frequently involved in care planning and review meetings. The report also described how the service worked closely with other agencies to ensure people received the care they needed. This included social workers and nurses.