Brookdale House Care Home

Updated 15 February 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

Two inspectors carried out the inspection with the support of a registered nurse and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Brookdale House Care Home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Brookdale House Care Home is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a Provider Information Return (PIR) prior to this inspection. A PIR is information providers send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people and 3 relatives who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 9 members of staff including the provider, area manager, deputy manager, chef, maintenance, 3 care staff and 1 agency staff member. We also spoke with an external training provider.

We reviewed a range of records. These included 4 people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at 3 staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Following the inspection we continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and quality assurance records. We received feedback from 2 staff members and 4 health and care professionals.

Updated 15 February 2023

About the service

Brookdale House Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 27 people. The service provides support to older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 15 people using the service.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People enjoyed living at the home and felt safe. However, improvements were required in some areas. Relevant recruitment checks were conducted before staff started working at the service to make sure they were of good character and had the necessary skills. However, we did find that more robust procedures for checking full employment histories were required.

Medicines administration records (MAR) confirmed people had received their medicines as prescribed. However, we found some concerns in relation to recording of when prescribed creams were applied. The service has since put in some measures to improve medicines.

The home was clean, and measures were in place for infection prevention and control. We were assured that most infection prevention and control practices were in line with current guidance. However, the home was in the middle of a refurbishment programme so areas were worn and in places were an infection control risk. Plans were in place to update the whole home.

The risks to people were minimized through risk assessments. Staff had received training in safeguarding adults and knew how to identify, prevent and report abuse. There were enough staff to keep people safe. People were supported with their nutritional needs. People received varied meals including a choice of fresh food and drinks. Staff knew people well and treated people with kindness and compassion.

There were effective systems in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. Staff felt supported by management and enjoyed working at the service. The provider had an open and honest approach to care delivery and reported accidents and incidents and informed those involved as necessary.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 06 July 2022) and there were breaches of regulations. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve. At this inspection we found improvements had been made and the provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about staffing and by a review of the information we held about the service. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks. We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating.

The overall rating for the service has changed to good based on the findings of this inspection.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.