15/10/2014
During a routine inspection
Brandreth Lodge Care Home is situated just outside the small rural village of Parbold in Lancashire. The home can accommodate up to 24 people requiring support with their nursing or personal care needs. Permanant or short term placements are available. The home has a small private car park. Brandreth Lodge is owned by Brandreth Lodge Care Home Limited.
This unannounced inspection was conducted on 15th October 2014 and was carried out by one inspector from the Care Quality Commission, who was accompamnied by an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has experience of the type of service being inspected. Their role is to find out what it is like to use service. At this inspection this was achieved through discussions with those who lived at the home, their relatives and staff members, as well as observation of the day-to-day activity.
At the time of this inspection the registered manager was on duty. 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 and associated regulations about how the service is run.
At the time of this inspection there were 20 people who lived at Brandreth Lodge. We asked 14 of them and three of their relatives for their views about the services and facilities provided. We received positive comments from everyone. We also spoke with five staff members and the registered manager of the home. We looked at a wide range of records, including the care files of two people who used the service and the personnel records of two staff members. We observed the activity within the home and looked at how staff interacted with people they were supporting.
People who used this service were safe. The staff team were well trained and had good support from the management team. They were confident in reporting any concerns about a person’s safety and were competent to deliver the care and support needed by those who lived at the home.
Recruitment procedures adopted by the home were robust. This helped to ensure that only suitable people were appointed to work with this vulnerable client group. One person, who lived at the home said, “The staff are very good. When I needed to go to the hospital at Ormskirk they were excellent.” Another commented, “Everyone is very good here and I really do feel safe and cared for.”
The premises were safe and maintained to an acceptable standard. Equipment and systems had been serviced in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations, to ensure they were safe for use. This helped to protect people from harm.
We found some areas of the home were in need of improvement, so that people were provided with a safe, hygienic and well-maintained environment in which to live.
Our findings demonstrated that the provider did not ensure that people who lived at the home and others who had access to the premises were protected against risks associated with unsafe or unsuitable premises, by means of adequate maintenance. This was a breach of Regulation 15 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010. You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the full version of this report.
People who lived at the home, or their relatives, were involved in making decisions about the way their care and support was being delivered. The planning of their care was based on an assessment of their needs and identified areas of risk. Regular reviews of needs were usually conducted with any changes in circumstances being recorded well. However, the plan of care for one person was a little vague and did not always provide staff with clear guidance about this individual’s needs and how these were to be best met, including on one occasion advice offered by an external professional.
People were supported to maintain their independence and their dignity was consistently respected. Staff were kind and caring towards those they supported and individual interaction was an important aspect of life at Brandreth Lodge.
People told us they enjoyed their meals and were able to choose what they wanted to eat. Additional snacks and beverages were available throughout the day. Assistance was provided for those who needed it in a dignified manner and the dining experience was pleasant.