During out inspection we spoke to six members of staff and four people who used the service. We reviewed a total of five care records and took information from a range of sources that reflected the service provided at the Sussex Beacon.

People told us they were very happy with the provision of care. One person said, “They treat me as an individual and I’ve been fully involved in my assessments and care planning”. Another person commented, “The staff are amazing and are very knowledgeable and have a non-judgemental approach to our care”. The staff who worked at the service told us they enjoyed their jobs and felt that they delivered, “consistent, good quality individualised care”. One staff member said that the service focused the “5 C’s” of nursing as a care philosophy. This approach incorporated compassion, commitment, care, confidence, courage.

We found systems in place to gain and review consent from people. This ensured that people’s human rights were respected and taken into account.

People were protected from abuse or the risk of abuse and their human rights were respected and upheld.

The service had an effective recruitment and selection process in place and carried out the relevant checks on the staff they employed to help ensure that only people who are safe to work with vulnerable people are employed.

The Sussex Beacon had a system in place to deal with comments and complaints, including providing people with information about that system.

During our inspection we spoke with two people who used the service, and four staff members these were the registered manager, the outpatient manager, a charge nurse and a client support worker. We also took information from other sources which included a client satisfaction survey and meeting minutes.

People who used the service told us, “The staff are so helpful. I cannot fault them at all”. Another person commented “The staff are brilliant. They show me respect and are always friendly and polite. You can talk to them about anything. They are there for you. I’ve been using this service since it opened in 1992 on rolling respite. I have never had a negative thing to say about the place”.

We saw that care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with individual needs.

The service had clear procedures in place to handle, prescribe, store and administer medicines.

Training programmes, supervision and appraisal systems were in place to support workers, and to enable them to maintain skills and increase their knowledge to support people using the service. One staff member told us, “The training is really good and helps me to do my job better”.

The service had quality assurance systems in place to monitor the quality of the service provided and to gain the views of the people who used the service.

We rated this service as outstanding overall because:

• The service was exceptional in engaging patients who may be reluctant to accept support from HIV services. Patients told us they felt safe and well looked after. Staff ensured that patient’s received consistent care and that staff had up-to-date information on individual patient’s care. There were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to keep people safe and meet their needs.
• Staff had undertaken appropriate training to ensure they had the skills and competencies to meet patient needs. The principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) had been adhered to which ensured patients’ rights were upheld.
• Patients were supported to maintain good health and had access to health professionals. Staff worked in collaboration with professionals such as GPs and the falls prevention team to ensure advice was taken when needed. Staff placed a high value on building relationships with patients and supported them in a way that ensured they felt understood and valued.
• Patients and health professionals spoke positively about the caring approach of staff that ensured needs were met. Staff were highly motivated to offer care which was compassionate and kind. Patients told us they had enough to eat, enjoyed the food and were offered choices.
• The leadership of the service was strong, visible and well informed. The entire Beacon community bought into the vision and shared goals of providing an exceptional service to people living with HIV/AIDS.
• Staff and patient engagement was very good with representation at all levels including patient representation at board level. The service adapted and made changes in response to patient feedback and actively sought new ways of engaging with harder to reach patients.