Brandon Park Residential and Nursing Home

Brandon Park Residential and Nursing Home is a residential care home with nursing that provides accommodation and personal care for up to 65 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 55 people using the service.

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

People were extremely positive about the quality of care provided. Feedback from relatives regarding the management of the service told us people continued to be outstanding with people at the heart of the service.

Staff were kind and respectful of people, recognising their strengths and skills. People were involved in decisions about their day to day lives and staff respected people's individuality and choices. People had their dignity and privacy respected and were supported to maintain their independence and live fulfilling lives.

Risks to people were assessed and staff understood actions needed to mitigate the risk of harm whilst respecting people's freedoms and choices. The service was clean, hygienic and a pleasant environment for people to live in. Infection, prevention and control practices kept people safe from preventable harm.

Staff understood how to recognise poor practice and abuse and knew what actions were needed if they had concerns. People told us they knew how to complain, and said any concerns were taken seriously and responded to appropriately. Complaints and compliments were shared with staff to address areas for improvement and to celebrate successes.

Staff understood the importance of gathering consent from people. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives. Staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Staff were motivated and passionate about their roles. People were supported by staff including activities staff who had the skills to meet their needs. Recruitment practices ensured staff were suitable for their roles. People had their medicines administered safely by trained staff who had their competencies assessed and checked regularly.

Leadership was described by people, their families and staff as outstanding and described the culture of the service as inclusive and supportive. Governance and oversight of quality and safety continued to be well established. This included a variety of safety audits, surveys and staff performance checks. The management team led by example and put people at the heart of the service and in their planning for improvement.

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 outstanding (published 6 November 2018).

Why we inspected

We undertook this inspection as part of a random selection of services rated Good and Outstanding.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Brandon Park Nursing Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

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

We found the following examples of good practice.

The provider and registered manager had ensured staff were skilled in infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. This included up to date training on infection control and 'Donning and Doffing', (how to put on and remove) personal protective equipment (PPE).

There were plentiful supplies of PPE available and situated across various key areas in the home to aid safe infection prevention and control practice.

Relatives were encouraged to visit their family members. The role of an essential caregiver was supported and welcomed to ensure people's wellbeing was promoted. Current government guidelines in relation to COVID-19 were being followed by staff and visitors to reduce the risk of infection to people living at the home.

External health and social care professionals and visitors evidenced COVID-19 vaccination status, and had to produce a negative lateral flow COVID-19 test before entering the care home. Additionally, health declaration and temperature checks were completed.

There were cleaning schedules in place, the service was visibly clean and hygienic. Frequently touched areas, such as door handles and handrails received enhanced and frequent cleaning. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, housekeeping staff hours had been extended to enable additional cleaning to be undertaken each day to help reduce the risk of infection.

We previously inspected this service in July 2017 and rated it Outstanding overall. Since that date the provider changed their company name from Stowlangtoft Healthcare LLP to Stow Healthcare Group Limited. This resulted in a new registration for the provider and the ‘archiving’ of the previous rating of Outstanding given. Despite this, the home continues to be managed by the same team running the provider company and the same provider team that achieved the Outstanding rating in July 2017. There was a registered manager in post at the time of our inspection, this was a change as during July 2017 this person had been the deputy manager at the home. A registered manager is a person who has registered with CQC 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 registered manager was an extremely strong and knowledgeable manager who was also highly visible across the home. The registered manager was approachable and enabled and empowered staff to deliver high quality care. The registered manager had excellent knowledge of the home and the people living there in order to ensure that people had their preferences met. People and their relatives spoke positively about the registered manager and their strong leadership style and their trust and faith in her. Staff displayed they delivered exceptional care, compassion and empathy that showed people mattered. The provider had excellent quality assurance processes in place, which helped to drive improvements. People who lived at the home, relatives and staff told us the service was exceptionally well led.

People received exceptionally personalised care and support which they were in control of. Activities were planned by activity staff who worked very closely with people to establish their individual preferences. There was an exceptionally strong family ethos within the home of treating people as individuals and with respect. People were at the forefront of their care and were supported by staff who were extremely kind and caring.

The care people received at the end of their lives was excellent. Staff were passionate about providing the best, most compassionate and respectful end of life care to people and demonstrated that all people who lived and died at the home mattered and were important

People were assisted as required by suitable numbers of staff who were trained and supported in their job roles. Staff members had been safely recruited and had received an induction to the home.

Staff knew about people's dietary needs and preferences. People told us there was a choice of meals and said the food was good. There were plenty of drinks and snacks available for people in between meals.

Staff had received training in order to meet the needs of people using the service. They had also received regular supervision and an appraisal of their work performance. The registered manager and staff demonstrated a clear understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Medicines were stored and administered safely, and people received their medicines as prescribed. Audits were carried out of medicines to ensure they were managed in line with good practice guidelines. Infection control practice was good and helped to reduce the risks associated with poor cleanliness systems.