North Cumbria's first extra care housing scheme has been praised by inspectors.

Bramble Court, in Brampton, has been rated good in all areas by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors, who visited the site in Union Lane on November 13, reported that the service was safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led.

It was the first inspection since Bramble Court was registered with the CQC.

The inspectors report said: "The people we spoke to during our visit to this service had nothing but huge praise and very positive comments about the care and support provided.

"They spoke extremely highly of the staff and managers, who assisted them or their family member. Staff were described as wonderful, friendly and brilliant.

"We were told by people using this service that staff always made time for anything needed.

"We observed that people were treated with respect and dignity and were provided with information and explanations to help them make informed choices about their day to day lives."

The first residents moved in to the £5.2m development in November 2016.

It is the fourth scheme of its kind to be developed by Impact Housing Association and the first to be developed on the same site as a community centre, which has a full programme of activities that residents can easily access.

The scheme is run by Imagine Independence Healthcare, a care agency commissioned by Cumbria County Council, which provides 24-hour care and support to residents who need it.

Elaine Mather, deputy chief executive of Imagine, said: "The team are highly motivated and managed by Phil Salmon, the registered manager, who joined Imagine in 2015.

"There is excellent partnership work between Imagine Independence, Impact Housing Association, Cumbria County Council and health and social care providers.

"Bramble Court is Imagine’s first Extra Care Housing Scheme. Our core business is provision of mental health/learning disability and specialist services.

"We were therefore delighted to hear the comments from people we support and their relatives about our excellent service.

"These themes ran through the whole report and we are very proud of our Phil Salmon, who set up and directly manages staff working at Bramble Court, and our staff team who are caring, compassionate and have helped us to achieve such a good rating for the service."

Bramble Court consists of 38 self-contained, one and two bedroom flats. It is specialist extra care housing, purpose-built or adapted single household accommodation in a shared site.

The accommodation is rented and is the occupant’s own home. The CQC does not regulate premises used for extra care housing but inspects personal care and support service - for help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating - of the 20 residents who receive it.

Residents have access to communal areas and take part in activities at Brampton Community Centre.

The registered manager and care staff have an office on site, shared with the housing provider.

The CQC report highlighted how people who use the service felt safe, secure and protected from harm, with risk assessments in place to ensure staff work safely to support people with care needs.

Inspectors said staff were aware of people's rights to make decisions and choices regarding their lifestyle and support needs and that residents felt confident they would be listened to and appropriate actions would be taken.

The report also highlights how:

  • staff, who received appropriate training, support and supervision, were recruited safely and effectively and that there were sufficient numbers of staff available to meet the needs of residents who required extra care support;
  • residents received consistent and timely care from a familiar and stable staff team;
  • there are "very friendly" relationships between residents and staff;
  • residents were supported to remain socially active within the community;
  • the services was well-managed and staff, who understood their roles and responsibilities, were encouraged to keep their skills and knowledge up to date; and
  • governance and performance management systems were under review by the provider.