Brandon House

Updated 10 March 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 2 February 2021 and was announced.

Updated 10 March 2021

Brandon House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 35 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. Nursing care is not provided at the home. This is provided by the community nursing service. At the time of our inspection there were 32 people living in Brandon House.

At the last inspection in December 2016 the service was rated Good overall. At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good.

Brandon House had a registered manager who was also the provider. They had oversight of three local homes, including Brandon House. There was a day to day manager who worked in the home and undertook daily monitoring and management tasks. They were in the process of registering with the Care Quality Commission.

The people who lived in Brandon House were provided with high quality; caring support which was person centred and met their individual needs. During our inspection we identified some concerns relating to the management of records but found these issues had been identified by the day to day manager and were being responded to.

We received positive feedback about the staff at the home and the quality of the care provided. Some of this feedback included comments like, “I honestly feel that the residents are well looked after and receive excellent care”, “(Brandon House) has a warm caring atmosphere, nice staff, it’s where I would put my nearest and dearest if they needed looking after” and “The staff are always friendly and professional.”

Staff treated people with respect and kindness. There was a warm and pleasant atmosphere at the home where people and staff shared jokes and laughter. Staff knew people and their preferences well. People were supported to have enough to eat and drink in ways that met their needs and preferences. Meal times were social events and people spoke highly of the food at the home.

People who lived in Brandon House had a variety of needs and were protected from risks relating to their health, mobility, medicines, nutrition and possible abuse. Staff had assessed individual risks to people and had taken action to seek guidance and minimise identified risks. Staff knew how to recognise possible signs of abuse.

Where accidents and incidents had taken place, these had been reviewed and action had been taken to reduce the risks of reoccurrence. Staff supported people to take their medicines safely and staffs’ knowledge relating to the administration of medicines were regularly checked. Staff told us they felt comfortable raising concerns.

Recruitment procedures were in place to help ensure only people of good character were employed by the home. Staff underwent Disclosure and Barring Service (police record) checks before they started work. Staffing numbers at the home were sufficient to meet people’s needs. Staff had the competencies and information they required in order to meet people’s needs. Staff received sufficient training as well as regular supervision and appraisal. Staff had a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) and put this into practice.

People, relatives, staff and healthcare professionals were asked for their feedback and suggestions in order to improve the service. There were systems in place to assess, monitor and improve the quality and safety of the care and support being delivered.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.