Archived: Brinnington Hall

Is the service safe?

Some of the people who were living at Brinnington Hall were living with dementia and could not always give their verbal opinions on the service they received. However, we observed during our visit that people were treated kindly and with respect. We were also able to understand from the people we spoke with that they were happy with the care provided.

From the records we looked at we saw that people who lacked capacity were protected when decisions were necessary regarding their health and personal care needs.

At the time of our inspection we noted that the home was clean, tidy and free from unpleasant odours.

We looked at staff training records that confirmed staff had undertaken moving and handling training to protect the people who lived there. Training such as safeguarding adults and health and safety helped to make sure that the staff team had the qualifications and skills to meet people's needs. National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) in Health and Social Care had been undertaken by the staff team. Fire awareness training had been provided at the home for all of the workers.

We looked at two staff records and saw that the provider had systems in place to make sure that staff were properly trained, supervised and appraised. This meant that staff were supported and managed and were clear about their lines of accountability.

Is the service effective?

From the three care plans that we looked at we saw that there was clear written information which helped to make sure that people received appropriate care to meet their needs. We saw records to confirm that healthcare professionals such as GP's and district nurses also visited the home as requested. Notes were made of the visits on the person's care plan.

Brinnington Hall was purpose built to meet people's individual needs. All bedrooms were single occupancy and had an integrated fridge and en suite facilities. Bedrooms were situated over three floors and could be accessed via a passenger lift. We saw there was equipment available to meet people's needs such as hoists, assisted baths, wheelchairs, pressure relieving mattress and cushions.

Is the service caring?

We spoke with eight people who used the service said that they had no concerns about the care provided. People told us that they had no complaints and that the staff were good. All of the people spoken with were very positive about the care they received. Some comments received were; 'The staff are friendly', 'They really care about us, you can just tell', 'I'm looked after well and I'm happy', 'I enjoy every day here'.

A relative spoken with told us, 'When you first move into the home, you receive a welcome bunch of fresh flowers. We thought that was a nice touch, it shows they care'.

All of the people we saw on the day of the inspection looked clean and comfortable and they were smartly dressed.

We saw staff showing respect to people when delivering their individual care and in a way that promoted their privacy and dignity.

Is the service responsive?

We saw that people's needs were assessed before they were admitted to the home to help make sure that their needs could be met. We saw that comprehensive care plans were in place that reflected the person's care needs to help make sure they received appropriate care.

We saw that necessary individual risk assessments to guide staff in managing individual risks were in place. We saw that these records were checked regularly to help make sure that people's changing needs were being met.

The people we spoke with said there were always enough staff at the home to meet their needs. However one person commented, 'Sometimes it seems like there aren't enough of them. Even when they're rushed off their feet, they always get back to you'.

A person spoken with told us that the GP was called as and when necessary and their medication was always given appropriately.

Is the service well-led?

At Brinnington Hall a registered manager was in charge of the day to day management of the home. The manager was on duty at the time of the inspection.

Two people spoken with made positive comments about the way the service was managed and said, 'The lady in charge is very nice, I can talk to her anytime', 'The manager is great, they all are very understanding and helpful'.

We saw evidence in the form of completed service user satisfaction questionnaires which confirmed they had been completed by people who used the service.

Healthcare professionals and people's relatives were also provided with a questionnaire to obtain their views and opinions about the service.

We were told by people who used the service that they could talk to the manager if they had any concerns about the care being provided.

The inspection visit was carried out to check if improvements had been made following the previous review of compliance.

All the care files we looked at were well ordered, detailed and person centred. The people we spoke to were complimentary about the service. One person told us; 'It's a marvellous home, the care you can't fault it. I came in here in a right state but they cared me through it and I'm really well now.'

We saw that medicines including controlled drugs were kept safely and securely reducing the risk of mishandling.

The residents and relatives that we spoke to during our visit had no complaints about the staffing levels.

We saw that that where something was identified that needed attention; it was assigned to someone at the home to address. We saw from looking at care plans that those identified issues had been addressed in a timely manner.

We looked at the information contained in the complaints folder and saw that people could expect an acknowledgment within a day and a full response within 28 days.

The care plans that we examined showed that reviews of care and associated risks were not reviewed in a timely manner.

During our visit we spoke with seven staff employed by the service. They told us they knew what to do if they thought someone was at risk, and were clear about the phrase "Safeguarding" and how it related to their delivery of care.

At this visit we looked at how eleven people were supported with their medicines. We found that appropriate arrangements were not in place for medicines administration.

Some staff that we spoke to thought that there were not enough staff employed by the home to deliver an appropriate standard of care.

We were shown a number of risk assessments and audits that had taken place, some of the issues identified had not been addressed. Some issues that could cause risk of inappropriate care had not been identified.