Archived: Broome Park Nursing Home

A registered manager was in post. 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.

Broome Park Nursing Home can accommodate up to 56 people with a variety of physical disabilities, dementia, mental health issues and learning disabilities. Some of the people have advanced dementia, complex mental health needs and personality disorders. It is formed by two separate houses and stands in its own grounds. On the day of our visit there were 52 people living at the service.

People and their relatives told us they felt the service was safe. Relatives told us that staff were very kind and they had no concerns in relation to the safety of their family member or how they were looked after by staff. Staff had received training in relation to safeguarding and they were able to describe the processes to be followed when reporting suspected or actual abuse. The provider ensured that full recruitment checks had been carried out to help ensure that only suitable staff worked with people at the home. Medicines were managed in a safe way and recording of medicines was accurate to show people had received the medicines as prescribed by their GP.

Staff received training, regular supervisions and annual appraisals that helped them to perform their duties. Staff commencing their duties undertook induction training that helped to prepare them for their roles. There was sufficient staff to ensure people’s needs could be met. It was clear that staff had a good understanding of how to attend to people’s needs.

Where there were restrictions in place, staff had followed the legal requirements to make sure this was done in the person’s best interests. Staff understood the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) to ensure decisions were made for people in the least restrictive way. People were not prevented from doing things they enjoyed as staff had identified and assessed individual risks for people. The registered manager logged any accidents and incidents that occurred and discussed these with staff so lessons could be learnt to help prevent a repeat of these.

Staff supported people to eat a good variety of foods. People with specific dietary requirements were provided with appropriate food. A choice of meals was provided each day and people could have a meal of their choosing if they did not like the meals on offer. The chef undertook surveys of the meals to ensure the food provided was what people liked to eat.

People had access to all external healthcare services and professional involvement was sought by staff when appropriate to help people maintain good health.

Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and showed kindness and compassion to people. People were able to spend time on their own in their bedrooms and their personal care needs were attended to in private.

People were able to continue following their hobbies and interests through a wide range of meaningful activities and therapy. People were able to participating in activities that interested them. External activities were regularly organised that enabled people to experience and enjoy trips to the seaside, garden centres and the local community.

Documentation that enabled staff to support people and to record the care they had received was up to date and regularly reviewed. People’s preferences, likes and dislikes were recorded. People and their relatives were involved in their care.

If an emergency occurred or the service had to close for a period of time, people’s care would not be interrupted as there were procedures in place for events such as flood, fire and failure of utilities. Clear guidance was provided and staff understood the procedures to be followed.

A complaints procedure was available for any concerns. This was displayed at the service. Complaints received had been addressed and resolved within the stated timescales set out in the provider’s complaints policy. Many letters of compliments had been sent to the provider about the good quality care and treatment people had received whilst living at Broome Park Nursing Home.

Staff and the provider undertook quality assurance audits to ensure the care provided was of a standard people should expect. Any areas identified as needing improvement were attended to by staff. An outstanding feature of the home was the links with the local community who were able to be involved with the home. This included local schools, volunteer initiatives, local universities and the friends of Broome Park.

People, relatives and associated professionals had been asked for their views about the care provided and how the home was run. Regular staff meetings took place.

The service was well led by the senior management at the home and new ways for continuous improvement to the service had been introduced and used. Staff informed that they felt supported by the registered manager and the management team and they were always available and approachable.

We saw that people's consent was obtained where possible before care and treatment was undertaken. We observed that the care given was safe and appropriate and based on effective care planning and risk assessments. This meant that people's individual needs were met and preferences were taken into account.

People were protected from abuse and cared for in a safe and inclusive environment. We noted that there were adequate numbers of skilled and experienced staff to deliver safe and appropriate care. We also found that systems were in place for people and relatives to make a complaint about the service if necessary and that complaints were dealt with in a timely and satisfactory manner.

We spoke to two relatives of people who used the service who told us that the care and treatment provided was 'Really good' and that the home 'Went above and beyond what they needed to.' They also told us that they felt the home was 'Very safe' and that they had 'No worries' about the care and treatment provided.

During our inspection we were not able to speak to people about all aspects of the service so we relied on our discussions with the manager and staff and our observations on the day to inform our judgements.