Care company has registration revoked by watchdog

The registration of an organisation that provided supported living and personal care to people with autism and learning disabilities has been revoked following an inspection.

Bright Brains Global Limited, based in Chatham, Kent, was providing services for four people when its registration was removed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The inspection assessed progress following previous problems, but inspectors found seven repeated breaches of legal regulations, including failures to assess people's capacity to consent.

Bright Brains Global Limited has been approached for comment.

The CQC said that Bright Brains Global Limited exercised its right of appeal to the Care Standards Tribunal to challenge the decision.

However, during tribunal proceedings, Bright Brains Global Limited withdrew that appeal.

The CQC added that all people living in the service were now being supported to move.

The findings of the inspection included staff not monitoring one person's bowel movements properly despite them being at high risk of constipation. Records showed gaps of two to three days with no action taken, putting the person's health at risk.

The CQC said staff were working 14-hour day shifts before starting overnight sleeping shifts.

On the day of the inspection, one home was short-staffed after someone called in sick and a senior staff member did not arrive to cover until two hours later.

Catriona Eglinton, CQC deputy director of adult social care in Kent, said: "When we returned to Bright Brains, we were appalled to find leaders hadn't addressed the serious concerns we raised at our previous inspections.

"There was still a closed culture, where people didn't feel safe to speak out when things went wrong, and their basic human rights weren't always upheld."

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