15 June 2023
During an inspection looking at part of the service
Cary Brook is a residential home providing personal care and accommodation to 45 people. The service specialises in support for older people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection, 36 people were using the service.
The home is purpose built, set across two floors. There are communal areas such as dining rooms and lounges. There is level access to secure outside area.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The provider's systems for sharing learning had not ensured information was acted upon promptly following an incident in another service to make sure people were protected from the risks associated with hot pipes, in line with the provider’s policy. The systems in place to monitor the quality and safety of the service were not always effective in ensuring shortfalls were identified and addressed in relation to environmental risks and medicines.
People were happy living at the home. Relatives spoke positively about the care and activities provided by staff. Staff worked as a team. There was a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
The home was clean, tidy, and well maintained. There were infection prevention control measures in place. People could move freely around the premises. Positive feedback was received about recent refurbishment work.
Staff were recruited safely. The service was working to recruit to vacant positions. Equipment and fire safety systems were regularly checked.
The home was part of the local community. Meetings and events took place to engage and gain feedback from people, staff and relatives. Systems to communicate with staff and relevant others were in place.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was Good (published 13 September 2017).
Why we inspected
This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.
We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe and well-led only.
For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has changed from good to requires improvement based on the findings of this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Cary Brook on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We have identified a breach in relation to Regulation 17 (Good governance) at this inspection. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor the information we receive about the service, which will help inform us when we next inspect.