Brook House Care Home

Updated 3 March 2022

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 care homes with outbreaks of COVID-19, we are conducting reviews to ensure that the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) practice is safe and that services are compliant with IPC measures. This was a targeted inspection looking at the IPC practices the provider has in place. We also asked the provider about any staffing pressures the service was experiencing and whether this was having an impact on the service.

This inspection took place on 22 February 2022 and was unannounced.

Updated 3 March 2022

Brook House is a residential care home for up to 41 older people, some of whom are living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 30 people living there.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

A registered manager was in post. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission 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 fully aware of their legal responsibilities and was committed to providing excellent leadership and support to staff.

Staff understood the need to undertake specific assessments where people lacked capacity to consent to their care and / or their day to day routines. It was not evidenced how decisions had been made in people’s best interest or who had been involved in this process. We saw that people were supported in the least restrictive way possible.

People were safe and protected from the risk of harm. Risks to people's safety were assessed and we saw that care was delivered in a safe way. Safe recruitment procedures were followed and there were suitable numbers of staff available.

Person centred care plans were in place written in the persons voice. Written consent to care was not evidenced however we did see that consent to care was sought at point of delivery and relatives told us they had been involved in the care planning where required.

People had access to health and social care services when needed and were referred in a timely manner. People had access to medication when they needed it and medication was managed in a safe way.

People were treated with kindness, compassion, dignity and respect. They were supported by staff to engage in activities. The provider had built relationships with services in the local community that people regularly accessed. People were involved in decision making and supported and encouraged with choice giving them control of their lives.

People and their relatives spoke positively of the staff team. The Registered Manager was visible, approachable and highly regarded amongst people, relatives and the staff. People felt confident that concerns raised would be dealt with promptly.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.