Bramble Lodge

Updated 20 January 2022

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 Care Act 2014.

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

This inspection was completed by two inspectors, a nurse specialist 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

Bramble Lodge Care home is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a registered manager registered with the Care Quality Commission in addition to a nominated individual. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

The provider was not asked to complete a provider information return prior to this inspection. This is information we require providers to send us to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We took this into account when we inspected the service and made the judgements in this report. We spoke with local commissioners and health care professionals and used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with two people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with 17 members of staff including the provider, registered manager, senior care workers, care workers, domestic staff, maintenance staff and the chef.

We reviewed a range of records. This included ten people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three 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.

After the inspection

Our Expert by Experience contacted relatives and representative of eight people using the service. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We looked at training data and further quality assurance records. We requested policies and additional information from the provider.

Updated 20 January 2022

About the service

Bramble Lodge Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 51 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 63 people. The home is split onto separate floors, each of which has communal lounges and dining spaces. There are also large accessible outdoor spaces.

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

Overall medicines were managed well, however we have made a recommendation about the management of some medicines.

Systems were in place to protect people from abuse. People’s risks had been assessed and reviewed regularly. There were enough safely recruited staff to meet people's needs. Infection control measures were in place to keep people protected.

Staff were knowledgeable about people’s healthcare needs and appropriate monitoring was in place using nationally recognised tools. The home worked in partnership with healthcare professionals and ensured timely referrals when appropriate.

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.

Staff were kind and caring and respectful of people’s privacy, dignity and independence. Staff knew people’s needs well and what was important to them. People and relatives were involved in, and supported to understand, decisions about their care.

Care was personalised and considered people’s personal preferences. There was a range of different activities for people living there to get involved in and people were supported to have contact with friends and relatives.

There was a positive culture within the home and staff were passionate about providing high quality care. People had opportunities to give feed back and felt listened to. There was a governance system in place that monitored the quality of the service and the provider had plans in place to drive forward improvements.

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

Rating at last inspection

This service was registered with us on 4 November 2019 and this is the first comprehensive inspection. We completed an infection prevention and control (IPC) inspection which was not rated, this report was published on [23 May 2021] and we issued a warning notice. We inspected the service again in relation to IPC and found the provider had met the warning notice, again we did not provide a rating and published the report [4 September 2021]. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was requires improvement published on [1 May 2019].

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the provider not having received a comprehensive inspection since registration. It was also prompted in due to concerns received about staffing levels and the care support people received.

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.

We found no evidence during this inspection that people were at risk of harm from this concern.

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

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.