Our brain injury neurorehabilitation services at The Richardson Mews and The Coach House were visited by assessors from Headway recently and have been re-accredited as ‘Approved Providers’. They rated ‘Outstanding’ in the systems and processes domain and ‘Good’ in all other areas. These are culture, workforce development, service delivery, environment, and governance, leadership, management & quality.

Assessors gathered information to demonstrate how the services meet the Approved Provider standards set by Headway. The assessment was based on written evidence submitted in advance and discussions with staff and service users on the day, as well as observations made during the visit. Additional information was also gathered, with sources including individuals’ care plans, risk assessments, key worker meeting minutes, goal records, staff meeting minutes, interviews and other available literature.

With particular reference to the organisation’s systems and processes, which enable quality assurance, safety and compliance, Headway commended the service on its high standards and strongly recommended that we maintain our exceptional practices.

Care standards remain high

The first area to be assessed was the culture of the organisation and all standards were fully met. Our specialist ABI services were praised for how we respect the dignity, privacy and individuality of service users. The report stated:

 “Policies and procedures are in place to ensure resident’s dignity and privacy are never compromised, and care standards remain high. Conversations with two residents uphold the belief that they are treated with respect and dignity at all times. Staff demonstrated their commitment by using appropriate communication styles and, for example; asking permission to view rooms beforehand, and knocking on doors prior to entry.” It added that control, independence and respect for residents is a value embedded in our services’ ethos.

It is a core principle at Richardson Care to treat each person as an individual with their own views and preferences. This was demonstrated by the example of how we prepare someone’s room before they are admitted. The report documented:

“Service users will be welcomed with a room which reflects some very personalised décor and personal touches. Taken from information passed over from family, former care givers and interviews with the person themselves, particular colour schemes, décor or items of particular sentiment will greet all new residents.”

The report cited the example of one service user who, on arrival said: “Wow, how did they know that? I wasn’t expecting that. It shows they really gave some thought to me coming here and want me to feel welcome.”

Family support

With regard to support for families, Headway assessors reported that:

“There are various spaces available for family members to spend time with their loved ones…

Families are able to visit at any time and are encouraged to spend as much time as possible with their relatives: Some families may take their loved one to the family home, including overnight (or short stays), and out in the community regularly.”

A family member who was at The Richardson Mews at the time of the assessment provided very positive feedback, praising the level of support provided for their loved one to access the community as frequently as they liked and the variety of opportunities available. They were also very pleased with the clear philosophy to support their relative to achieve their goal of returning home and praised the environment, level of therapy and support provided by staff to enable this.

We were also commended on the support we provided following admission. The relative reported that within days of admission, our staff took time to educate them on the effects of acquired brain injury in relation to their loved one’s needs, and that we provided written information to support this.

Quality of therapeutic support

The report also highlighted the quality of the therapeutic support available to service users, stating that the service is led by a dedicated Therapy Lead (Clinical Head, Dr Pedro Grilo) in collaboration with the rest of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT). It said:

“With support from key, and associate key workers, an enablement approach reflects the objectives and thoughts of the resident. Activities are devised which reflect the interests of the resident to support with motivation and engagement. Service users receive individualised therapeutic support, tailored to their specific needs including promoting independence in personal care, life skills and recreational or vocational pursuits.

“The support plans, made available to the Headway assessors, reflected a person-centred, rehabilitation-focused approach, with a number of residents working as volunteers out in the community.”

We would like to thank the service users, their families and our staff who spent time with the Headway assessors. To find out more about the Headway approved provider scheme go to: https://www.headway.org.uk/about-brain-injury/professionals/approved-provider-scheme/