Archived: Branwell Care Home

Branwell Care Home provides personal care and accommodation for up to eight people. At the time of our inspection there were five people living at the home.

A registered manager was in post at the time of our inspection. 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.

The service ensured people were safe by having positive risk assessments in place which promoted independence but identified and minimised risk. Medicines were managed safely by staff who were suitably trained and assessed for competency. Safe recruitment procedures were in place and new staff completed a full induction aligned with the Care Certificate. On going training ensured that staff were skilled and effective in meeting the needs of the people they supported.

Staff were knowledgeable about the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005. Examples were given of how staff used the principles of the act and embedded it into their work practice. The home had systems in place when people lacked the capacity to make a particular decision. Best interest decisions were made with the involvement of relatives and health and social care professionals.

The service was not always responsive to people’s needs as investigations and actions taken in response to complaints made were not clearly documented. This meant that the service did not always make changes or improve from concerns raised.

People’s needs were fully assessed and care records were person centred. Records described how people preferred care and support to be delivered. Staff knew people well and we observed positive relationships between people and staff.

The service engaged with people to gain their feedback. People contributed to the running of the home. They did this through meetings, questionnaires and one to one sessions.

Staff felt valued and supported within their roles. They attended regular team meetings and received on going supervision.

Positive comments were received about the team leader and the way the home was organised and led. Communication with staff and relatives was effective. A range of systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided to people.

During our inspection we examined the support records of people who lived in the home and observed how staff interacted and supported people in communal areas. We crossed referenced people's care plans with the observations that we made. We found people were being supported in line with their assessed needs.

People that lived in the home were able to tell us of their experience. Everyone that we spoke with told us they were happy living in Branwell Care Home. Comments included; 'I am happy and I go out on a Tuesday', 'staff are nice here', 'I moved here and it is good' and 'my keyworker takes me out and I bought new shirts'.

Staff that we spoke with were knowledgeable of people's support needs and told us they felt they had enough time to support people with their daily living needs. Staff comments included; 'we are a good supportive team', 'we have a supportive management team who encourages us' and 'lots of training is available'.

Staff told us the training that they received equipped them with the skills required to support people's needs.

The provider had systems in place to monitor and review the service that was provided. People we spoke with also knew how to make a complaint.

We saw that people's care was planned and delivered in a person centred way, with reference made to people's cultural needs. Any risks associated with a person's care were assessed to ensure that people were cared for safely. Staffing levels were sufficient to meet people's needs.

There were procedures in place to ensure that people were safeguarded from abuse and people were supported to raise any issues or concerns.