We carried out a review of the data available to us about Briardene Care Home on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Briardene Care Home, you can give feedback on this service.
Briardene Care Home is a purpose-built care home providing accommodation and personal and nursing care for up to 60 people. The service provides support to older people and younger adults some of whom may have a physical disability and/or be living with a dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 60 people using the service.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe. One person said, “It’s the next best thing to home, I do what I want when I want. The care staff are like my friends, they are very kind and caring.” Staff understood the procedures they needed to follow to safeguard people from the risk of abuse. Concerns were reported and appropriately investigated and analysed for learning.
Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures were in place to minimise the impact of COVID-19. Staff were knowledge about the procedures and followed guidance in relation to the wearing of PPE. Risks were identified, and measures put in place to minimise harm. Medicines were managed safely.
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.
Systems were in place to monitor and improve the quality of the service provided. The registered manager was aware of their responsibilities and they were embedding a culture of openness and transparency. We have made a recommendation about duty of candour.
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 1 June 2021) and there were breaches of regulation. 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
We carried out an unannounced focused inspection of this service on 11 and 12 February 2021. Breaches of legal requirements were found. The provider completed an action plan after the last inspection to show what they would do and by when to improve safe care and treatment and good governance.
We undertook this focused inspection to check they had followed their action plan and to confirm they now met legal requirements. We had also received some concerns about infection prevention and control. This report only covers our findings in relation to the Key Questions Safe and Well-led which contain those requirements.
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 from requires improvement to good. This is based on the findings at this inspection.
You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Briardene Care Home on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.
Briardene Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal and nursing care to up to 60 older people some of whom are living with a dementia related condition. At the time of our inspection 58 people were living at the home. Accommodation is available across two floors.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
The service was not always well led. Systems were not always effective in monitoring quality at the service.
People were not always protected from the risk of harm. Staff did not always follow government guidance in relation to safe infection prevention and control [IPC] procedures and risk assessments did not contain specific information in relation to the potential impact to people from COVID-19. There were shortfalls in the knowledge of the management team in relation to safe IPC practices.
Systems were in place to ensure people received their medicines as prescribed. Care plans were in place to guide staff on when to administer medicines which were prescribed as required. Enough staff were deployed to meet people’s needs and staff responded to people in a timely manner. Systems were in place to safeguard people from the risk of abuse and the staff spoken to understood their responsibilities in how to protect people.
Staff were caring and encouraged people to be independent. Staff also promoted a homely atmosphere at the service. Pets were welcomed into the home and people told us they enjoyed the opportunity to interact with animals. One relative said, “They [staff] are always happy for people to take pets in. I have seen people who have no verbal communication light up when pets are there, dogs sometimes reach the parts that people can't.”
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 21 January 2020).
Why we inspected
We undertook this targeted inspection to follow up on specific concerns which we had received about the service. The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about safeguarding people from abuse and the conduct of staff. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We inspected and found there was a concern with the infection prevention and control practices of staff, so we widened the scope of the inspection to become a focused inspection which included the key questions of safe and well-led.
Enforcement
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.
We have identified two breaches in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance at this inspection.
Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Full information about CQC’s regulatory response to the more serious concerns found during inspections is added to reports after any representations and appeals have been concluded.
Follow up
We will request an action plan for the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.
We found the following examples of good practice.
• Information, including national guidance was available throughout the building to support staff and visitors to understand and follow to safe infection control practices.
• Some social bubbles were in place to support people living with dementia and who were unable to self-isolate, to socialise safely. This reduced the risk of social isolation for those people who were unable to understand restrictions which had been introduced due to the pandemic.
• Staff had received training in infection and prevention control. Staff we spoke with were able to explain the procedures in place to reduce the risk of spreading the Covid19 virus and cross contamination. Staff understood how to use PPE appropriately. We observed staff wearing appropriate PPE for the task they were carrying out.
• There was a designated lead for infection control. There were systems in place to ensure infection control audits were carried out and actions taken to address any areas of improvement.
Further information is in the detailed findings below.
Briardene Care Home is a care home providing personal and nursing care to 58 people at the time of the inspection. The service is registered to support up to 60 people, some of whom may be living with a dementia.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People told us they felt safe and were well cared for by staff who treated them kindly and with respect. Staff clearly knew people well and had developed warm and engaging relationships with people and their family members.
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.
We have made a recommendation about capacity assessments and best interest decisions.
People’s needs were assessed, and the information had been used to develop care plans and risk assessments, with involvement from the person and their family, if appropriate.
Nutritional needs were met and nursing staff complimented the kitchen staff for their knowledge about nutritional and the way they prepared meals for people who had specific dietary requirements.
Visiting healthcare professionals commented that staff were proactive in making necessary referrals and how they were confident any advice and guidance given would be followed. They added that staff were particularly good at providing end of life care and supporting families.
Staff were recruited safely and there were enough staff to meet people’s needs in a timely way. Staff had attended training relevant to their roles including safeguarding. Any concerns were recorded, investigated and reported to relevant authorities. All incidents were reflected upon for learning and improvement.
A range of activities were on offer for people, including the use of a virtual reality headset which people seemed to enjoy. The environment had improved under the management of the new provider and there were plans in place to make further improvements to make sure it was dementia friendly.
Staff understood their responsibilities in line with regulatory standards and a range of audits were completed to monitor the service and drive improvement.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was requires improvement (published 20 November 2017). Since this rating was awarded the registered provider of the service has changed. We used the previous rating to inform our planning and decisions about the rating at this inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the registration date.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.