• Care Home
  • Care home

Brentwood Care Centre

Overall: Requires improvement read more about inspection ratings

Larchwood Gardens, Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9NG (01277) 375316

Provided and run by:
RCH Care Homes Limited

Latest inspection summary

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Background to this inspection

Updated 25 May 2023

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

This inspection was carried out by two inspectors, a professional specialist advisor with a background in nursing 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

Brentwood Care Centre is a ‘care home’. 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. Brentwood Care Centre is a care home with nursing care. 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. This was due to the previous registered manager leaving the service. The provider was in the process of recruiting a new manager and an interim manager was in post whilst recruitment was ongoing.

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. 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 used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 7 people who used the service and 4 relatives about their experience of the care provided. We also used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us.

We spoke with 15 members of staff including the interim manager, nurses, unit managers, health care assistants and the activity coordinator. We reviewed a range of records. This included 8 people’s care records, 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision and a variety of records relating to the management of the service.

Overall inspection

Requires improvement

Updated 25 May 2023

About the service

Brentwood Care Centre is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to up to 112 people. The service provides support to older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 67 people using the service. The home is split over three separate floors, each with communal lounges and dining areas.

We expect health and social care providers to guarantee autistic people and people with a learning disability the choices, dignity, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted. Right support, right care, right culture is the statutory guidance which supports CQC to make assessments and judgements about services providing support to people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. We considered this guidance as there were people using the service who have a learning disability and or who are autistic.

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

The provider had not always ensured staffing levels, or the deployment of staff across the service, adequately met people’s needs. People told us staff were not always available when needed and we observed people waiting for staff to support them. The provider’s processes for monitoring the quality and safety of the service were not always effective in addressing concerns and driving improvements.

People’s care plans and risk assessments were not always personalised or up to date and some contained contradictory information. People’s daily records and monitoring charts had not always been completed and this meant we could not be assured people had received appropriate support. The provider had implemented end of life care plans following on from our last inspection; however, these still lacked detail.

The provider had a process in place to manage people’s medicines and guidance was available to support staff in administering medicines safely. However, during the inspection we observed staffing levels had impacted on the timely administration of medicines.

The provider had recruited an activities coordinator since our last inspection, and we found people were more engaged and able to participate in a wider range of pastimes. 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; however, the policies and systems in the service did not always support this practice.

Staff were aware of how to report safeguarding concerns and the provider had sent notifications and shared information with the relevant authorities when appropriate. People and relatives told us they knew who to speak to if they had any concerns or complaints.

There had been changes in the management of the service since the last inspection and there was a new interim manager in post. People and staff spoke positively about the new manager and the support they had received from the senior management team. Relatives told us they felt involved in people’s care and able to give feedback and staff spoke positively about the culture and morale of the team. Following the inspection, the provider responded promptly to our feedback, supplying additional information, and identifying actions to address the concerns raised.

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 01 July 2022).

Why we inspected

There had been an increase in the number of safeguarding concerns raised since our last inspection. We had received concerns in relation to how the provider was ensuring people were kept safe and protected from the risk of harm. We had also received concerns regarding the management oversight of the service. As a result, we undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of safe, responsive, and well-led.

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.

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.

We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. Please see the safe, responsive, and well-led sections of this full report.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Brentwood Care Centre on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Enforcement and Recommendations

We have identified breaches in relation to staffing, the management of risk and oversight of the service 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 information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.