Brooklands Nursing and Care Home

Updated 8 November 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Brooklands Nursing and Care Home is a ‘care home’ with nursing care. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was not a registered manager in post. They had recently left their post. The service was being managed by a new manager, whilst the provider recruited a new registered manager.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We sought feedback from the local authority. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

During our visit to the home, we spoke with 2 people who used the service and 6 staff, including the manager, nurse, care staff and maintenance. Following the inspection visit, we spoke with 4 people’s relatives and 2 professionals to gain their feedback about the service.

We looked around each area of the home to make sure It was safe, homely and suitable. We spent time observing the care and support people received. This helped us to understand the experience of people who could not or chose not to speak with us.

We reviewed 2 people’s care documentation and multiple medicines administration records, along with associated medicines documentation.

We reviewed a range of records related to the management of the service, including safety certificates and quality assurance systems.

Updated 8 November 2022

About the service

Brooklands Nursing and Care Home is a small residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 8 people. The service provides support to people with acquired brain injuries and complex care needs. At the time of our inspection there were 7 people using the service.

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

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 supported safely, and the provider had plans in place in case of emergencies. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and the provider ensured staff were of good character. One person told us, Staff are kind, caring, welcoming. They are good. Every single one of them.” The premises were clean, tidy and maintained.

The service put people at the centre of the care they received and was focussed on delivering person-centred care and support which met people’s complex needs. Feedback we received included, “I cannot fault them. They are absolutely fantastic.” And, “I would say the care is excellent.” Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. The provider monitored the quality of the service using a range of systems.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was outstanding (published 2 April 2019).

Why we inspected

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

The inspection was prompted in part by notification of an incident following which a person using the service died. This incident is subject to further investigation by CQC as to whether any regulatory action should be taken. As a result, this inspection did not examine the circumstances of the incident. However, the information shared with CQC about the incident indicated potential concerns about the management of risk of falls and post falls management. This inspection examined those risks.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern. Please see the safe and well-led sections of this full report.

We carried out 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 remained outstanding based on the findings of this inspection.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation to the provider about learning from adverse events and sharing lessons learned with the staff team. We have also made a recommendation to the provider about ensuring the effective operation of their quality assurance systems.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.