Briardene

Briardene is registered to provide residential care for up to 13 younger adults and older people who may be living with a learning disability or autistic spectrum disorder. The service is a 'care home'. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service is a converted town house and accommodation is provided across three floors with communal lounges, kitchens and bathroom facilities for people to use.

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.

This was the first inspection of the service since the provider, Harrogate Skills 4 Living Centre, took over management of the service in December 2016. Before this, the service had been in administration for approximately three years. At the time of our inspection, there were 12 people using the service.

The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the 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. They had been the registered manager under the previous provider and had continued in this role when Harrogate Skills 4 Living Centre took over the service in December 2016. The registered manager had worked there for over 20 years. They were supported by senior care workers as well as a quality compliance manager and director in the management of the service.

During the inspection, people who used the service told us they felt safe with the support staff provided. Staff understood their responsibilities to safeguard people from abuse and avoidable harm. They had good knowledge of people's needs, the risks involved with supporting them and how to manage and minimise risks to keep people safe.

Staff were safely recruited and enough staff were deployed to safely meet people's needs.

Maintenance checks were completed on any equipment used and the home environment. The registered manager introduced a system of regular documented checks in response to our feedback about window- opening restrictors. We suggested developing the environmental risk assessment to ensure it covered potential risks relating to people leaving the building without staff's knowledge and relating to single paned

glass in first and second floor windows.

Medicines were managed safely. The home environment was clean. Staff followed good practice principles to minimise the risk of spreading infections.

Staff received regular training, supervision and an annual appraisal of their performance. Staff provided effective care and gave positive feedback about the support, advice and guidance available to them. We made a recommendation about developing records around mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions.

Staff encouraged people to be actively involved in planning meal choices and supported people to have a varied diet and try new things. They and the registered manager worked well with health and social care professionals to ensure people's needs were met.

The home environment was suitable and met the needs of the people who lived there. Some areas of the service required redecoration and carpets replacing, but ongoing redecoration work was planned to continually update the home environment. People were involved in decisions about how their rooms were redecorated.

Staff were very kind, caring and attentive in the support they provided. They encouraged people to make decisions and respected people's choices. Staff respected people's privacy and personal space and were quick to respond to maintain people's dignity.

The service had a very knowledgeable, experienced and consistent team of staff. They used their knowledge and understanding of people's needs to provide person-centred care. People were actively involved in reviewing their support and making decisions about how their needs were met. Accessible information was used to help people make informed choices.

People had the opportunity to engage in a wide range of meaningful activities and to pursue their hobbies and interests. The provider ran a 'skills for living centre', which offered accredited education and learning opportunities for people living with a learning disability in the wider community. This training and learning focussed on promoting people's independence, reducing isolation and supporting people with education and employment opportunities. People who lived at Briardene freely accessed and benefited from this service.

The service was very well-led. The registered manager was extremely knowledgeable, dedicated and genuinely caring. There was an open, inclusive and very person-centred culture within the organisation. The provider and registered manager were committed to continually improving the service for the benefit of the people living there. They had implemented a home improvement plan, which contained detailed information about their vision and areas of the service they wanted to further develop. This demonstrated a commitment to providing very high-quality care.

The five questions we ask about services and what we found