• Care Home
  • Care home

Archived: Brierton Lodge Care Home

Overall: Good read more about inspection ratings

Brierton Lane, Hartlepool, Cleveland, TS25 5DP (01429) 868786

Provided and run by:
Bupa Care Homes (ANS) Limited

Important: The provider of this service changed. See new profile

All Inspections

22 August 2016

During a routine inspection

We carried out an inspection of Brierton Lodge Care Home on 22 and 24 August 2016. The first day of the inspection was unannounced. We last inspected Brierton Lodge Care Home in October 2013 and found the service was meeting the relevant regulations in force at that time.

Brierton Lodge Care Home provides accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 58 people, including people living with dementia. There were 58 people accommodated there on the day of our inspection.

The service had a registered manager in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the CQC 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. The registered manager was on extended leave and a deputy manager was in day to day charge.

People told us they felt safe and were well cared for. Staff took steps to safeguard vulnerable adults and promoted their human rights. Incidents were dealt with appropriately, which helped to keep people safe.

The building was safe and well maintained. The property was purpose built and adaptations had been made and additional signage provided to improve safety and highlight potential hazards. Other risks associated with the building and working practices were assessed and steps taken to reduce the likelihood of harm occurring. The home was clean throughout.

We observed staff acted in a courteous, professional and safe manner when supporting people. Staffing levels were sufficient to safely meet people’s needs. The provider had a robust system to ensure new staff were subject to thorough recruitment checks.

Most medicines were safely managed. The administration of topical medicines (creams applied to the skin) was inconsistently recorded.

As Brierton Lodge Care Home is registered as a care home, CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. We found appropriate policies and procedures were in place and the deputy manager was familiar with the processes involved in the application for a DoLS. Arrangements were in place to assess people’s mental capacity and to identify if decisions needed to be taken on behalf of a person in their best interests. People’s mental capacity was a common thread considered through all care plans and risk assessments. Where necessary, DoLS had been applied for. Staff obtained people’s consent before providing care.

Staff had completed safety and care related training relevant to their role and the needs of people using the service. Further training was planned to ensure their skills and knowledge were up to date. Staff were well supported by their managers and other senior staff. Staff performance was assessed annually and objectives set for the year ahead.

People’s nutritional status was assessed and plans of care put in place. The recording of people's fluid intake and associated guidance for staff to follow was not always clear. This was being addressed by the provider. People’s health needs were identified and external professionals involved if necessary. This ensured people’s general medical needs were met promptly. People were provided with assistance to access healthcare services.

Staff displayed an attentive, caring and supportive attitude. We observed staff interacted positively with people. We saw that staff treated people with respect and explained clearly to us how people’s privacy, dignity and confidentiality were maintained.

Activities were offered within the home on a group and one to one basis. Adaptations had been made to the home to provide a calm and comfortable environment for people living with dementia. Staff understood the needs of people and we saw care plans and associated documentation were clear and person centred.

People using the service and staff spoke well of the home’s managers and they felt the service had good leadership. We found there were effective systems to assess and monitor the quality of the service, which included feedback from people receiving care and oversight from external managers.

29 October 2013

During a routine inspection

During the visit, we spoke with ten people who used the service and met four relatives. The people we spoke with told us that they were pleased with the service and felt staff were good at their jobs. People told us that they felt able to raise any of their concerns with staff. They told us; 'The staff do a very good job,' and 'The staff are always there when you need them and I don't have to wait', and 'I find the manager is really approachable and that the home is well-run'.

From our observations we found that care staff worked in ways that supported people and treated individuals with a great deal of humanity as well as empathy. We spoke with eight of the staff on duty and found they had a good understanding of people's needs.

We found that the manager ensured all the relevant checks were completed when employing new staff and that overall there was a very stable staff team.

We found that the building was well-maintained and plans were in place to start a refurbishment programme in the New Year.

29 June 2012

During a routine inspection

During the visit, we spoke with eight people who used the service and eight relatives. As this was a routine visit we asked people about the choices on offer; what the care was like; and what people thought about the staff. Relatives told us that they really liked the home, thought the staff were good at their jobs and felt their relative was being supported to either return to their own accommodation or live comfortably at the home. People said 'I'm impressed with what I have seen', 'The staff keep a discreet eye on people and seem very attentive' and 'They let me know about any changes'.

One unit was dedicated to the care of people who had dementia care needs. These people had marked problems with their memory and found it difficult to think about recent events or at times to have a conversation. So we used a specific way of observing care to help to understand their experience of the service. We used a tool called the short observational framework for inspection (SOFI).This involved spending a substantial part of the visit observing groups of people to see how they occupied their time; appeared to feel; and how staff engaged with them. We undertook this type of observation in various lounges across both units..

From our observations, we found that overall care staff worked in ways that supported the people and treated individuals with humanity as well as empathy. A couple of the staff initially did not tend to talk to people when assisting individuals to eat meals or use hoists. However, over the course of our inspection this did change. By the end of our visit, we saw that they routinely chatted to people. We saw that staff appeared to value and respect the people who used the service and involved people in discussions and always sought their views. We saw that activities had been organised and the people appeared to find these enjoyable.

People told us that the service was run well and that they felt that all the staff were competent so met people's needs. People said 'I can't fault it' and 'The staff are perfect' and 'It's very good'.