Brookfield Care Home

We found the following examples of good practice.

The manager had identified, assessed and mitigated COVID-19 risks to people, staff and visitors.

Professional visitors and relatives were tested before visits took place. Visiting professionals were also asked to provide evidence of their vaccination status prior to entering.

Visits with relatives and friends were accommodated and adaptations made in response to the changing government guidelines.

Staff had received additional training during the pandemic including correct usage of personal protective equipment (PPE), donning and doffing and infection prevention and control measures.

The service was clean and well ventilated and had detailed cleaning schedules. High touch points were regularly disinfected promoting safe infection control practices.

Brookfield Care Home is a residential care home providing personal care to 37 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 38 people. Accommodation is all contained within one adapted building.

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

People and relatives provided positive feedback about the home. They said they received a high standard of care from kind and caring staff. Staff we spoke with knew people well and were committed to providing people with compassionate, person-centred care.

People felt safe living in the home. Any safeguarding issues or concerns were taken seriously by the management team and fully investigated.

Risks to people’s health and safety were assessed and mitigated. Staff knew people’s needs and how to care for them safely.

Medicines were managed safely. People received their medicines when they needed them, and clear records were kept.

Overall there were enough staff to ensure people received a good level of care and support. The registered manager was recruiting additional staff in order to increase staffing levels to take pressure of existing staff. Safe recruitment procedures were in place to help ensure staff were of suitable character to work with vulnerable people.

Incidents and accidents were logged and analysed, and action taken to learn from incidents. This helped improve the safety of the service.

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 had access to a range of healthcare services. People were referred to relevant professionals when their needs changed.

People praised the food provided by the home. We saw people had sufficient choice and variety and the mealtime experience was positive.

People’s care needs were assessed, and a range of appropriate care plans put in place. Whilst these were largely appropriate, additional detail was required in some.

People were able to raise issues or complaints, and these were responded to positively by the management team. People praised the management team and said they were effective and listened to them.

Appropriate governance arrangements were in place. The registered manager had good oversight of the service and regularly audited and checked the service to ensure high standards were maintained.

People had a voice in the home, and their comments and suggestions were used to make improvements to care, food and activities.

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 17 January 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

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.

Brookfield Care Home is located in Nabwood, Shipley on the outskirts of Bradford and is registered to provide personal care for up to 40 people, although the service had made two double rooms into single rooms which reduced the maximum occupancy to 38. At the time of our inspection there were 36 people living at the service. Accommodation was arranged over two floors and all bedrooms were en-suite with toilets, baths or showers. There were a number of communal lounges on both floors, two dining rooms on the ground floor and a passenger lift in place. Outside the property were gardens and a car parking area.

A registered manager was in position. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People told us they felt safe living at the home and the care provided was good. Staff understood how to keep people safe and safeguarding training was in place. Staffing levels were sufficient to keep people safe although increased levels would allow more interactions with people at busy times.

A robust recruitment process was in place and staff received a range of training to enable them to care and support people living at the home.

Appropriate risk assessments were in place in people's care records and these were updated as care and support needs changed. People's needs were assessed and plans of care put in place which were updated appropriately.

The premises were well maintained with no malodours. People were encouraged to have personal possessions such as ornaments, pictures and toiletries in their bedrooms.

Medicines were well managed with appropriate safe systems in place to ensure people received their medicines at the right times.

People had access to a range of health care professionals and referrals were made where required.

The home was working within the legal requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and people's consent was sought wherever possible. People's preferences were respected and people were treated with dignity and kindness.

People told us the food was of a high standard and menus were formulated with people's input and feedback. People were provided with nutritious and varied diets with plenty of fluids encouraged and dietary supplements were given to those nutritionally at risk.

Any complaints were treated seriously with actions and outcomes documented. People told us they felt able to approach staff and management with any concerns they had.

A range of audits and processes were in place to ensure the quality of the service was maintained.

The management team were highly visible and people knew the registered manager by name. All staff worked together as a team and morale was good.

Resident and staff meetings took place as well as quality questionnaires sent to gauge service satisfaction.

Their comments included: "The girls are very nice here", 'They look after us' and 'I like my bedroom and wardrobes'.

We found the home had appropriate systems in place to ensure consent was gained before staff proceeded with personal care.

We saw evidence there was an appropriate system in place for listening to and acting on people's comments and concerns.

We spent time observing the lounges and dining areas during the day of our inspection. We looked closely at how people spent their time and how staff interacted with people.

All the interactions we saw between carers and people who used the service were respectful. We saw some people engaged in activities with members of staff such as singing and watching TV. The Registered Manager told us that various activities were delivered on a daily basis.

People we spoke with told us staff were kind to them. One person said, 'They are brilliant staff here."

We were able to speak with a relative during our visit; they commented "I come most days, I am made very welcome, it's a welcoming place."

During our visit the lounge on the ground floor was well occupied. The residents were given a choice of hot and cold drinks with biscuits. The television was on and some people were chatting in a cheerful manner. The residents and looked smart, the gentlemen were clean shaven. There was a pleasant atmosphere throughout the home and we were made to feel welcome by staff and the people using the service.