Our three residential care homes that provide rehabilitation and care for adults with acquired brain injuries have all been granted Approved Provider status by Headway, the brain injury association. This status is subject to continued compliance with the terms and conditions of the Headway scheme, which are reviewed during interim assessments.

Unannounced visits to 144 Boughton Green Road and The Mews both confirmed that these homes continue to fulfil all standards required by Headway across all domains. Both of the homes were rated either ‘Good’ or ‘Good – Excellent’ in each of the domains.

Assessment standards
The six domains covered by the Headway assessment are; Communication, Culture, Development, Governance, Quality, Environment: Psychological/Emotional and Environment: Physical. Headway makes a detailed evaluation of all aspects of the care provided with the experience of the service user and their family or carer as its main priority.

During the interim assessments, Headway examined two domains in detail and reviewed any changes to the homes since the initial review when the Approved Provider status was granted.

Each domain is further divided into different elements, each of which is closely examined. For example, ‘Culture’ includes; the organisation’s philosophy, re-enablement approach, spiritual, social and sexual attention, engagement with families, external agencies and local communities, the home’s culture and adherence to the Mental Capacity Act, Deprivation of Liberty or equivalent. The ‘Governance’ domain includes person-centred care, privacy and dignity, evidence of special provision, appropriate management and staffing, philosophy and staff awareness.

We welcome Headway’s feedback and appreciate that we work in a very rewarding but also challenging environment. External assessment, as well as continual internal monitoring, is essential to ensure that we continue to deliver higher quality standards to the service users in our care.