Archived: Brooklands Care Home

Updated 8 February 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by one inspector, a specialist adviser and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Brooklands Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with CQC. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We asked the local authority and Healthwatch for their views of the service. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. Neither organisations had any concerns. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with sixteen people who used the service and five relatives about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with seven members of staff including the registered manager, the deputy, care staff, cook and domestic staff. The providers managing director, regional manager and compliance manager were also present and spoken to. We spoke with a range of NHS staff visiting the home; a community matron, district nurse and a dietician. We looked around the home to check it was clean and a safe place for people to live. We observed a medicines round and observed lunch time on both floors.

We reviewed a range of records. This included six people’s care records and medication records. We looked at five staff files in relation to recruitment and staff training. We also looked at a range of records relating to the management of the service, including how the registered manager and provider monitored the quality and safety of the service.

Updated 8 February 2020

Brooklands Care Home is registered to provide care and accommodation for 43 people. At the time of our inspection 39 people were living at the home. The home is purpose built and supports people who have needs associated with ageing and are living with a dementia related illness.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People were safe and protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Risk assessments helped protect the health and welfare of people who used the service. People received their medicines when they needed them from staff who had been trained and had their competency regularly checked. There were sufficient staff numbers to meet people’s needs. The recruitment processes ensured new staff were suitable to work in the home. Infection control was well managed and the home was clean and free from hazards.

People were supported to live healthy lives because they had access to professionals, a well-trained staff team and a choice of a nutritious diet. The home worked effectively with other organisations to provide effective and consistent care. 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.

People were treated as individuals which helped protect their dignity. People’s equality and diversity was respected by a caring staff team and where they wished they were supported to continue with their religious needs. Staff gave people their time and understood this was important in supporting people’s well-being. They knew the importance of encouraging people to maintain their independence.

The staff knew people well. They planned and provided care to meet people’s needs and to take account of their preferences. They had a wide range of organised activities and entertainments to chose from. Links with local community groups were well developed to enhance people's lives. People could see their visitors as they wished and maintain relationships that were important to them

The home was being well-led by the registered manager and people's views about the quality of care were used to make improvements. Everyone we spoke with told us they would recommend the home and were happy with the way the home was managed. Staff were well trained and supported for their role. They felt valued and enjoyed working at the home. The provider regularly carried out checks on key aspects of the home such as plans of care, staff competency and safety of the environment.

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 Requires Improvement (published 14 July 2016) and there were two breaches of regulation. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations. There was also an inspection on 28 July 2017 however, the report following that inspection was withdrawn as there was an issue with some of the information that we gathered.

Why we inspected

This is a planned re-inspection because of the issue highlighted above.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.