Lebrun House

Lebrun House is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care to up to 20 people. The service provides support to older people and people living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 19 people using the service.

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

Aspects of people's care and support was not always embedded into person centred practice. The registered manager had identified areas for improvement and was working to improve things. We identified that some records needed to be improved. The registered manager was open and honest and actioned the issues we found during the inspection process.

Systems were in place to safeguard people and people were protected from harm and abuse by staff. Risks to people had been assessed and monitored and staff were aware of risks to people and how to minimise them. There were enough staff to support people and staff had been recruited safely. Medicines were managed safely. Staff followed infection prevention and control procedures in line with government guidance.

People's needs had been assessed in line with standards, guidance and the law. People were supported by experienced staff who were trained in areas that were relevant to the people they supported. People had enough to eat and drink and were involved in the creation of the home's menu. Where people had risks associated with eating and drinking, staff had identified these and knew how to support people safely. Staff worked with other agencies to provide effective support. People were involved in the decoration of the home and each person's bedroom was tailored to their preferences. 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.

People were supported by staff that were kind and caring. We saw throughout our inspection staff speaking to people kindly and making people smile. Staff took the time to listen to people and to sit and speak to them. Staff were knowledgeable about people's emotional needs and knew what might upset someone and how they could cheer the person up. People were supported to be involved in decisions around their care. Staff were respectful of people and encouraged them to be as independent as possible.

People's care plans were person centred and had been created in partnership with the person and their family where appropriate. People's care plans included information on their end of life wishes. Staff knew how to communicate with people in their preferred way. People were provided with activities and staff took opportunities to spend time with people. Complaints received by the service were used as opportunities to improve.

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

Why we inspected

This service was registered with us on 13 February 2020 and this is the first inspection. The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 9 August 2019.

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.

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 registered manager had followed current guidance in relation to infection prevention and control. Measures had been implemented to ensure people entering the home did so following current guidance regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing. This included staff temperatures being taken on arrival for work and temperatures measured for essential health professional visits. The provider was not currently taking new admissions.

Staff used PPE appropriately. PPE was located in people’s rooms if appropriate and there were PPE ‘stations’ on each floor of the building to ensure staff had access to required PPE at all times. There were adequate PPE supplies in the service. Staff followed a cleaning schedule, including deep cleaning of people’s rooms and communal areas when appropriate. All staff were responsible for regular disinfection of frequently touched surfaces of the home for example handrails and bannisters. Social distancing rules were being followed.

Regular Covid-19 testing was taking place for people and staff. The registered manager was aware that testing may cause people anxiety. The process of testing was done in a relaxed, unhurried manner to ensure people felt comfortable and supported.

Staff had access to guidance and policies regarding Covid-19 and infection prevention and control. The registered manager carried out checks and audits in relation to infection prevention and control and implemented any actions identified. For example, refresher training for all staff.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.