IBC Healthcare Supported Living

On this page

• Overview
• Assessing needs
• Delivering evidence-based care and treatment
• How staff, teams and services work together
• Supporting people to live healthier lives
• Monitoring and improving outcomes
• Consent to care and treatment

The service had up to date policies and procedures in place, based upon current legislation and best practice guidance, to ensure people's care and treatment was based on their individual needs. People’s needs were assessed and reviewed effectively to ensure they were in receipt of the most up to date treatment, care, and support. Staff worked collaboratively with external health and social care professionals who provided support and guidance to achieve good quality outcomes for people. This enabled people to maximise independence, choice, and control. Staff engaged with people, were respectful, and obtained consent before delivering care.

This service scored 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Relatives said staff understood the needs of people using the service and supported them to become more independent. A relative told us, “When [person] moved in, they needed help with everything. Now [person] is confident [to do some things for themselves].” Another relative said, “Staff tell [person] what they are doing, interacting with them. Staff know when [person] likes to do things, having built trust and routine. Personal care is done in [person’s] own time.”

Staff were positive about the guidance and support provided in how to meet people’s individual needs. Staff said the guidance was sufficiently detailed and regularly reviewed to ensure it reflected people’s current needs. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people’s care needs, including the importance of people’s communication, emotional and well-being needs.

Partners said the service worked closely with them when assessing and reviewing people’s health, care, wellbeing, and communication needs. A partner said IBC Healthcare attended weekly meetings with them before, during, and after a person began using the service. They told us, “They [IBC] shared what was working/not working and what they could do differently. I found them to be open and transparent [and] incredibly person-centred.” Another partner said IBC Healthcare staff assessed a person’s needs by visiting them on an ‘in-reach’ basis in their previous placement so they could best understand the support the person needed. They told us IBC Healthcare continued to share information with them until the person was successfully discharged into their care.

Robust processes in place ensured people were assessed effectively through transition into the service and regular reviews. Observations and monitoring of care delivery meant people were empowered through choice and control, while receiving person-centred safe care and support. The provider used recognised assessment tools to assess and monitor people’s care needs, such as behaviour monitoring tools and incident audits and analysis. Regular observations were undertaken by PBS leads who developed systems and processes ensuring staff had the right guidance, support, and training to meet people’s complex needs.

Relatives said staff knew what was important to the people and they supported them in the way they wanted. A relative told us, “The staff are person-centred, for example, they offer a choice of sensory items and food.” Another relative said staff who worked with their family member were advised on best practice by the service’s PBS lead. They told us the PBS lead visited frequently when their family member was new to the service to advise staff on effective ways of responding to behaviours of concern.

Staff had the training they needed to ensure they were up to date with national legislation, evidence-based good practice, and required standards. A staff member told us, “IBC staff support people with behaviours of concern with the utmost professionalism in line with support plans, healthcare guidance and legislation, and CQC guidance.” Another staff member said gave examples of the specialist courses they had attended including crisis intervention, delivered by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI). They told us this training enabled them to ‘support people positively in times of crisis’. They commented, “Our staff are well trained to meet the needs of the people we support.”

The provider had up to date policies, based upon current legislation and best practice guidance. Recognised assessment tools were used to assess and monitor people’s needs. People had robust PBS plans in place with oversight from experienced PBS leads. Collaborative working with partners ensured continuity of safe care and support. There were systems in place to ensure communication with staff was effective, this meant changes to people’s care was consistently delivered by staff teams.

We did not look at How staff, teams and services work together during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Effective.

Relatives said staff supported people to manage their health and wellbeing, referring them to GPs and other healthcare professionals as necessary. A relative told us, “When [person] had a [health issue] staff took them to the GP. I was kept informed of blood tests and hospital appointments.” Another relative said, “Staff take [person] to GP appointments and [staff member] emails me [with the outcome].”

Staff supported people to stay healthy and see healthcare professionals when they needed to. A staff member said, “IBC does a great job of supporting people to stay healthy. Regular GP appointments and specialist healthcare are arranged when needed, and staff are very responsive to any changes in a person’s health.” Another staff member told us, “Our focus is to provide a healthy and safe life for our service users. We encourage people to maintain their health by offering nutritious food choices and promoting physical activities. People visit doctors when needed, and staff ensure appointments are booked and attended.”

Most partners were satisfied with how IBC Healthcare supported people to live healthier lives. A partner told us, “[Person] hasn’t missed any GP or health appointments that I am aware of.” Another partner said a person was exercising more and their diet had improved since being at the service. They also said their medicines had decreased in line with IBC Healthcare following the NHS’s STOMP (stopping over medication of people with a learning disability and autistic people) programme. However, one partner said a person had missed an appointment for some protective equipment, although this had now been addressed.

The provider had systems and processes that assessed and monitored people’s complex health care and treatment needs, including health action plans. Records demonstrated partnership working with health care professionals and any recommendations being implemented. The provider was able to demonstrate how people were supported to attend health appointments and health screening. People were also encouraged to take part in activities to help their physical wellbeing and meet their personal goals and aspirations.

Relatives said people had progressed since being at the service. These gave us examples of people managing their personal care more independently, eating a varied and healthy diet, and going out in the community. A relative told us, “[Person] has been given a sense of control and therefore is calmer, for example, person can choose a bath or shower.” Another relative said staff used picture boards to support their family member to make their own decisions. They told us, “[Person] points to pyjamas when they want to go to bed and chooses the food they want from a menu board.”

Staff were keen to tell us about some of the things people had achieved since receiving a service from IBC. They told us of people using more words and signs to communicate, less incidences of behaviours of concern, improved health, fitness, and diet, and taking part in more activities. A member of staff was particularly proud that a person now felt safe enough to link arms with them when crossing the road.

The provider had systems and processes that continually assessed and monitored people’s individual health and well-being needs. Person-centred individual outcomes were identified for people. The provider was able to demonstrate people had made progress since receiving care and support from IBC Healthcare. Robust systems and processes to ensure effective oversight were in place. The provider was working within accredited and national guidance, this meant the service was committed to implementing an effective PBS approach and methodology and reducing restrictive practice across the organisation.

Relatives said that staff asked for people’s agreement before they provided support. A relative told us, “They are respectful, for example, they say ‘can I just do this, or would you like me to do this’.” Another relative said, “Staff ask [person] what they want, I know from [person’s] demeanour and response. For example, [person] loves a bath, and staff respect their wish to stay in the bath for a while, checking on them.”

Staff ensured people consented to their care support. A staff member said, ”We take the issue of consent seriously and ensure people have given informed consent [to the support they receive].” Staff followed people’s person-centred support plans that had been developed with people’s involvement. Another staff member told us, “We discuss their needs, preferences, and choices and ensure they have a clear understanding of the support being provided. Any changes in care are also discussed with them to get their consent.” Staff also explained how they followed the principles of the Mental Capacity Act to assess people’s capacity to consent. A staff member told us, “If people are unable to make decisions, we involve relevant parties [family, partners] in a best-interests decision-making process, always prioritizing the person's well-being and rights.”

Where people had capacity to consent to their care and treatment and the service they received, the person had confirmed their agreement by signing specific care plans and other relevant documentation. Where people lacked capacity to consent to their care and treatment, capacity assessments and best interest decisions had been completed. Records of Mental Capacity Act assessments and best interest decisions that we reviewed were not always consistently detailed and at times the assessment and decision-making process lacked detail.