Bradbury Outreach Services

We have assessed the service against ‘Right support, right care, right culture’ guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.

We carried out this assessment in response to the age of the rating. At our last assessment we rated the service good. At this assessment the rating has remained good.

People were supported safely. Staff understood their safeguarding responsibilities and were confident in reporting concerns. There were very few incidents because staff knew people well and what triggered their anxieties. When needed they provided calm and skilled de-escalation. Risk management was personalised and reflected people’s preferences, communication needs and the structured routines that helped them feel secure. Staff worked well with professionals where appropriate and maintained strong relationships with families, who remained closely involved in planning their family members care. Medicines were managed safely.

There were some gaps in staff training and staff recruitment records. The manager told us they were addressing this during the assessment.

Staff understood people’s individual communication styles and preferences, including non-verbal communication, signs, gestures and the use of visual prompts.

The culture within the service was positive. Staff morale was high and staff told us they felt valued, well supported and confident to raise concerns or seek advice. Managers were approachable, compassionate and knowledgeable about the people they supported. Staff consistently reported that leaders were responsive, available and maintained strong oversight of day-to-day care. There were examples of learning being shared across the team through daily logs, supervision and the service’s communication systems.

The providers governance and oversight systems had not identified some of the concerns we found. The manager acknowledged the gaps we found and had already begun strengthening oversight. A consolidated action plan was in place, informed by feedback from local authorities and an external consultant, and we saw evidence of progress. Staff training gaps had been identified and work was underway to ensure this was completed. Progress was also evident in record keeping, and managers were meeting regularly to monitor improvement actions. The manager was in the process of applying to be the registered manager. They were being supported by the previous registered manager in the interim.