IBC Healthcare Supported Living

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• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

The service had an open and supportive culture where people and staff were valued, supported, and listened to. Leaders, managers, and staff were committed to providing people with safe person-centred care and support. Managers supported staff to develop their knowledge and skills and to have a positive experience working for IBC Healthcare. The service had a positive culture of continuous learning and improvement. There were effective governance and management systems. Information about risks, performance and outcomes were used effectively to improve 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.

We did not look at Shared direction and culture during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

Staff made many positive comments about the service’s managers and leaders. They said managers and leaders understood the needs of the people using the service and cared about staff welfare. A staff member told us, “They are very professional. They are very approachable and people-orientated and give us listening ears.” Another staff member said, “The leadership at IBC is excellent. The managers are approachable and supportive, and create a positive working environment where staff feel valued and listened to. They are always available to help when needed and provide strong guidance to ensure the team works effectively.”

At the time of our assessment IBC Healthcare did not have a registered manager. However, an application to register a new manager had been submitted to CQC prior to the previous registered manager leaving. Since then, a further application to register a second new manager had also been submitted. Both applications were still being processed by CQC. The service had a central support team covering quality and therapeutic support, people and culture, commercial, and digital and community. This meant people and staff could get expert support and advice depending on their area of need. There were systems in place to share information and learning throughout the service. This helped to ensure everyone working for the service shared the same culture and values . A manager told us, “The board of directors aren’t just the names on the letterhead. They meet monthly and are involved in all aspects of service.”

The service had a positive culture where staff could speak up if they had concerns about people’s well-being. A staff member said, “I can speak up without fear of negative consequences. I’ve witnessed firsthand that when concerns are raised, they are taken seriously, and management ensures that the appropriate action is taken quickly.” Staff said management encouraged them to speak up as not all the people using the service were able to do this for themselves. Another staff member told us, “Our leaders listen to us as we are working directly with the people we support.”

The service had policies and procedures in place to make it easy for staff to raise concerns, for example, the service’s whistleblowing policy. This gave staff options on how to report concerns and who to. All staff knew how to speak up and were confident their voices would be heard. A staff member said, “The culture here is very open. I feel confident raising any concerns I might have about the well-being of people using the service, and I know that when I do, my concerns are taken seriously and addressed promptly.” Another staff member told us, “IBC have an open-door policy, issues raised from the service have always been handled professionally and with upmost respect accorded to staff. There is a well laid down policy for reporting issues and also for whistleblowing.”

We did not look at Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Well-led.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and were committed to providing people with high-quality person-centred care and support. A staff member said managers inspired them ‘to do more, and to do amazing [things] with the people we support’. Staff told us the service’s recruitment and training systems ensured they were suitable for their roles. Another staff member told us, “IBC employs colleagues with experience in the services they provide, and provides full training, and support, and encourages continuous personal and professional development for employees.” A further staff member said everyone who worked at the service shared its values. They told us, “The positivity [staff] exhibit in the workplace is in line with the goals and vision of IBC.”

The service’s quality assurance framework (QAF) and audit system ensured risk, performance and outcomes were continually monitored and evaluated. Audits covered all areas of the service including people’s finances, medicines, health and safety, environments, daily records, and support plans. The service’s quality assurance team carried out further audits and spot checks to provide additional oversight of service delivery and compliance. The experience and progress of the people using the service was central to quality assurance at the service. People’s, relatives’, and staff’s views were sought and acted upon. With the consent of people/relatives, the service published ‘Good News Stories’ to show had people thrived using the service.

Relatives said their views, and the views of people receiving support, were listened to, and considered. Most relatives told us staff worked closely with then to ensure their family members were safe. A relative said, “I have a weekly email report, that I asked for. It covers the care and support [person] has had, and any incidents and updates. They are really good at providing information.” Another relative told us, “The home manager is great. When [person] moved in, I was speaking to [home manager] daily. We talk regularly, [home manager] is very accessible, and comforting and reassuring when they ring me about an incident, which I need to hear.” A further relative said although IBC Healthcare provided ‘a valuable service’ they would like to be more involved in their family member’s care and support.

Managers and staff gave us examples of how they worked with partners to support people to live more independently in the community. They partnered with local police to exchange information and learning. Through this initiative, police gained a better understanding of the needs of people with learning disabilities and autistic people, and IBC Healthcare staff gained insight into police powers. IBC Healthcare were also part of the Restraint Reduction Network (a network of organisations and individuals committed to eliminating the unnecessary use of restrictive practices), fundraised for Mencap, and affiliated with a local social club so people could attend events there. To support a person to go shopping, staff at one person’s home approached a nearby supermarket to see what could be done to improve the person’s shopping experience. In response the supermarket agreed to give the person their own aisle two times a week. IBC Healthcare also provided information about learning disabilities to staff at local GP surgeries so they would be more knowledgeable when people attended health appointments. These initiatives helped to ensure people were welcomed and understood in their local communities.

Most partners said IBC Healthcare worked well with them, sharing information, and collaborating for improvement. A partner told us, “We have weekly MDTs to support the placement and share any actions, concerns, and achievements. The service user is accessing the community regularly and doing the things they like to do.” Another partner said, “I maintain close contact with IBC due to my patients having complex needs and challenging behaviours. I can advise they are responsive to my emails and act on my advice and actions.” Other partners said communication could be improved. A partner said, “It can take IBC management a long time to respond to request for information […] there has been a lot of miscommunication in regard to [person’s] move.” Another partner told us, “[I have] had real problems getting paperwork despite emailing numerous times, don't get notified of incidents etc so I can't really comment on their standards. I appreciate the individual is complex, but I have found them frustrating.”

The service had systems in place to ensure people’s support was safely managed, monitored, and assured. These included working in partnership with relatives and health and social care professionals to ensure people received person-centred support. If people needed specialist input, staff made direct referrals to a community learning disability team who then allocated the most suitable professional to assess the person’s needs, for example, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, community nurses, positive behavioural support leads, and speech and language therapists.

Staff said managers supported them to continually learn and improve. A staff member told us, “Supervisions and debriefings are offered to staff and their contribution to make the service better is taken into consideration.” Another staff member said, “When any issues arise, they are taken seriously, and steps are always taken to learn from them and improve going forward.”

The service’s governance and audit system ensured learning happened when things went wrong. Managers reviewed and analysed safeguarding concerns, complaints, accidents, incidents and near misses. This enabled them to identify emerging themes. When these were identified, they acted to reduce the risk of reoccurrence. Managers also learnt from good practice in the UK and worldwide and were aware of developments in the field of autism and learning disabilities. They organised regular masterclasses for staff. Subjects had included PBS, supporting families, and good practice and innovation. Managers attended awaydays to increase their knowledge, for example on the Mental Capacity Act. The service subscribed to an online learning platform giving staff access to thousands of health and social care and other courses. This was in addition to their essential and service-specific training.