- Care home
Brookside
We served section 29 Warning notices on Bedford Borough Council On 14 and 23 April 2026, as they failed to meet the legal regulations relating to safety and governance.
Assessment report published 18 May 2026
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
Date of assessment: 31 March to 10 April 2026.
Brookside is a care home supporting autistic people, people with a learning disability or dementia. There were 18 people living at the service at the time of our assessment.
We assessed the service against 'Right support, right care, right culture' guidance to make judgements about whether the provider guaranteed people with a learning disability and autistic people respect, equality, dignity, choices, independence and good access to local communities that most people take for granted.
We found 2 breaches of the legal regulations concerning safety and governance.
We identified incidents that were potential safeguarding concerns that had not been reported. Risks relating to the environment were not always well managed. Staff had not received all training relating to the health needs of the people they were supporting. Topical medicines such as creams were not always managed safely. People’s hydration needs were not always monitored.
However, staff had a good understanding of people and the risks they could experience. Staff received regular supervision and told us they felt supported by leaders. Staff understood the importance of seeking consent from people. We observed staff and leaders interacted with people kindly and respectfully. A staff member said, “I enjoy my job, I like the people and I like the work.”
People's experience of this service
People told us they felt safe. For example, a person said, “I feel safe and know the staff want what is best for me.” People using the service were generally observed to be comfortable and appeared relaxed. Activity records showed many people regularly engaged in meaningful activities. Relatives told us when they visited, people often appeared well cared for. A relative told us, [My relative] doesn’t complain to me and says staff is nice. [Relative’s] been there many years and is settled and happy.’’