IBC Healthcare Supported Living

On this page

• Overview
• Learning culture
• Safe systems, pathways and transitions
• Safeguarding
• Involving people to manage risks
• Safe environments
• Safe and effective staffing
• Infection prevention and control
• Medicines optimisation

IBC Healthcare provided people with safe care and support. Staff worked closely with people, relatives, and partners to understand and manage risks. Staff used PBS to help them understand the reason for behaviours of concern so they could better meet people's needs and enhance their quality of life. People trusted staff and felt safe in their presence. There were always enough staff on duty to support people and protect their well-being. Staff followed the service’s medicines policies and procedures to ensure people had their medicines safely and as prescribed. The service had a culture of openness and lessons were learnt and improvements made if things went wrong.

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.

A relative said managers took appropriate action following an incident at the service when their family member felt unsafe. Following the incident, managers made changes to the staff team which the person and relative were satisfied with. Another relative said they asked IBC Healthcare to provide consistent staff to ensure their family member felt comfortable. They said this took some time, but it was eventually resolved. The relative said, “For the past two months core staff have been put in place and we are really pleased.”

Staff told us lessons were always learnt if something went wrong. They said incidents were reported and investigated, and managers carried out a ‘root cause analysis’ (a process of discovering the root causes of problems to identify appropriate solutions). Following this, changes were implemented to prevent further incidents. All the staff we spoke with understood how important this was. A staff member said, “If anything goes wrong, there is always learning, and they [managers] would make the necessary adjustments, feedback and action.”

Partners told us IBC Healthcare investigated safety incidents and learnt lessons following them. A partner said that after an incident IBC Healthcare took ‘swift, decisive and transparent action’ and were ‘responsive and robust regarding this’. Another partner said IBC Healthcare made changes to a person’s environment following an incident to reduce the risk of it happening again.

Managers carried out serious incident reviews as necessary. These helped to ensure serious incidents were identified correctly, investigated thoroughly, and lessons were learnt from them to prevent the likelihood of similar incidents happening again. Where appropriate, results were shared with relatives and partners to assure them changes had been made where necessary to improve people’s safety.

We did not look at Safe systems, pathways and transitions during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

Relatives said managers and staff responded appropriately when safeguarding incidents occurred. For example, a relative said IBC Healthcare informed the local authority safeguarding team and CQC when a safeguarding incident involving their family member happened. They then fully investigated it.

Staff had a thorough understanding of safeguarding and knew how to protect the people they supported from harm. A staff member told us, “I’m confident that people using the service are safe. The team is proactive when it comes to safety, and we have strong safeguarding processes in place.” Staff had trusting relationships with the people they supported. They understood the effects of past trauma on some people, and how it had made them feel unsafe. They worked closely with people to support them to feel safe in their homes and local communities.

People were relaxed and happy in the presence of the staff supporting them. If they became anxious, they went to staff for reassurance. Staff understood what being safe meant to people and facilitated this. For example, one person did not like too much noise and activity around them, so staff managed this to prevent them becoming distressed.

There were effective systems, processes, and practices to ensure people were protected from abuse and neglect. If safeguarding incidents occurred, staff took immediate action to keep people safe and, where necessary, worked with the local authority safeguarding team. Staff supported people in a way that upheld their human rights and protected them from discrimination.

Relatives said staff supported people to manage risks safely. A relative told us how staff worked closely with their family member to keep them safe when out in the community. They said staff worked with the service’s PBS lead and the person’s family to plan outings. They told us, “Staff look out for risks, divert [person’s] attention, change the route, or cross the road. They do their utmost to enable [person].” Another relative said staff supported their family member to attend a family event. They told us, “This was not achievable without their help.”

Staff gave us many positive examples of how they worked with people to manage risks. They understood the importance of good quality risk assessments to ensure people felt safe. A staff member said, “The risk assessments are crucial tools in ensuring people’s safety and well-being. The risk assessments are comprehensive, detailing the individual's specific needs, potential risks, and the steps we need to take to manage those risks effectively.” Another staff member told us, “The risk assessments are well-structured and detailed. We regard them as living documents that can be reviewed and updated if need be.”

When we visited people, we saw some excellent examples of staff supporting people to stay safe. Staff had a quiet, gentle, respectful approach to people and knew what to do if they expressed anxiety or distress. They used their skills, training, and knowledge of people to reassure and redirect them. Communication was key to this, and staff used a range of approaches and tools to support people to express themselves including pictorial aids, objects of reference (objects used to represent an activity, person, or place), and sign language. By enabling people to share their thoughts and emotions staff ensured people were heard and risks reduced.

The provider ensured risks were assessed, and people and staff understood them. The service had a balanced and proportionate approach to risk that supported people and respected their choices. Risk assessments were person-centred and regularly reviewed. The service employed a PBS lead who provided extra support to people and staff where there were higher levels of risk.

We did not look at Safe environments during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

Relatives said good staffing levels and a consistent staff team kept people safe. A relative said, “[Person] is always 2:1 and 3:1 in the community. Staff manage risks well, guiding and helping them to keep safe, for example, supervision in the kitchen, and keeping them occupied and entertained to reduce the likelihood of anxiety and self-harm.” Another relative told us, “Staff know [person] well and are always consistent. [If person becomes anxious] they are outstanding at distracting them.”

Staff said their induction and on-going training gave them the confidence, skills, and knowledge to provide safe care and support to the people using the service. They told us their training was designed to meet the needs of people with behaviours of concern and included PBS, crisis prevention and management, the Mental Capacity Act/Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), and communication techniques, especially for people with non-verbal communication needs. A staff member said, “All staff at IBC undergo continuous professional development to ensure that they are up to date with the latest practices in supporting people with behaviours of concern.” Another staff member told us, “This training ensures that staff are well-prepared to manage behavioural concerns effectively and provide safe, compassionate care tailored to the needs of the people we support.”

People got on well with the staff supporting them. We saw them greeting staff with smiles and, for one person, fist bumps. People chose to be close to staff, for example two people enjoyed watching staff prepare their meals. Another person had ongoing banter with staff that resulted in much laughter. Staffing levels ensured people were safe in their homes and when they went out into the community. Staff used PBS skills to avert crisis and keep people safe. Staff knew the people they supported extremely well, some staff had supported them from the first day they began using the service. Staff had developed strong, caring relationships with people and were proud of their progress and achievements.

Staff were safely recruited and had criminal records checks to ensure they were fit to work with people using care services. Staffing numbers were based on people’s needs and agreed in collaboration with commissioners. Staff had a comprehensive induction and further training to ensure they had the skills and knowledge they needed to provide good quality care and support. Training was up-to-date and specialised. For example, staff were trained in PBS, sign-language, and safety intervention to meet people’s individual support needs.

We did not look at Infection prevention and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Safe.

Relatives said medication was well-managed at the service. Some told us their family members were more able to tolerate their medicines since being with IBC Healthcare. A relative said, “Before [person] moved in there were issues with medication being given covertly. Now they are more relaxed with medication and take it orally. [Person] has a high pain threshold, but staff recognise triggers.” Another relative told us, “[Person] previously spat tablets out sometimes. There have been no problems since moving in [with IBC Healthcare].”

Staff were knowledgeable about the safe management of medicines. They had regular medicines training, in person and online, and competency checks. They followed the service’s medicines policies and procedures for administering, storing, and recording medicines. They followed people’s medicines support plans and encouraged their involvement in their medication management whenever possible. A staff member said, “Medicines are managed very well. There are clear processes in place, and everything is double-checked and recorded to ensure medicines are handled safely.”

We did not observe people having their medicines. However, we saw medicines were stored safely and appropriately in people’s homes. We also saw staff talking with a person about their medicines and explaining what they were for.

The service’s safe handling of medicines policies and procedures ensured people had their medicines as prescribed. Staff had regular medicines training and competency checks. Managers and team leaders carried out audits to check medicines were administered safely with accurate records kept. People were encouraged to be involved in their medicines routine. For example, one person wanted to sign their own medication administration record (MAR) so staff printed out a second copy each week so they could do this. The service was part of the NHS England ‘Stopping over medication of people with a learning disability and autistic people’ (STOMP) national programme to stop prevent inappropriate prescribing of psychotropic medicines. People’s medicines were regularly reviewed and if there were any concerns staff raised these with prescribers.