Archived: Brookholme Croft Nursing Home

Updated 20 October 2015

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, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

We visited the home on 22 July 2015. Our visit was unannounced and the inspection team consisted of two inspectors 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 service.

Before this inspection, the provider completed a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a form that asks the provider to give some key information about the service, what the service does well and improvements they plan to make. We also looked at all of the key information we held about the service. This included notifications the provider had sent us. A notification is information about important events, which the provider is required to send us by law.

During our inspection we spoke with 14 people who lived at the home and 8 relatives. We spoke with four nurses, including the registered manager and four care staff, including two seniors. We also spoke with the provider’s business manager. We observed how staff provided people’s care and support in communal areas and we looked at 7 people’s care records and other records relating to how the home was managed. For example, medicines records, meeting minutes and checks of quality and safety.

Updated 20 October 2015

This inspection was unannounced and took place on the 22 July 2015.

Brookholme Croft Nursing Home provides accommodation, nursing and personal care for up to 45 older adults. This includes care for some people who may be living with dementia or receiving end of life care. At the time of our visit, there were 44 people living in the home, including 22 people receiving nursing care and some people living with dementia. There was a registered manager at this service. 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.

At our last inspection in March 2014, people were not fully protected from risks associated with unsafe or unsuitable premises. This was a breach of Regulation 15 of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010, which corresponds with Regulation 12, of the Health and Social Care Act (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. Following that inspection, the provider told us what action they were going to take to rectify the breach and at this inspection we found that improvements were made.

People said they felt safe in the home and relatives and staff were confident that people received safe care in safe surroundings.

People were protected from the risk of harm and abuse and they were safely supported in a clean and well maintained environment. Arrangements for staff recruitment and deployment and for managing known risks to people’s safety helped to protect people from harm and abuse. People’s medicines were safely managed.

Emergency plans were in place for staff to follow in the event of any forseen emergencies in the home. Fire safety improvements previously required by the local fire authority were completed by the provider in May 2015.

People were happy with and regularly consulted about their care and the meals provided. People’s health and nutritional needs were being met. People were supported to improve and maintain their health in a way that met with their preferences and any instructions and advice from external health professionals when required. The provider’s arrangements helped to make sure that people received care based on recognised practice, which met their needs and was delivered by appropriately trained and supported staff.

People’s consent was sought before they received care and where people lacked capacity to consent to their care and treatment, appropriate authorisation was sought.

People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff that maintained their dignity and privacy and mostly but not always treated people with respect. Staff understood and usually followed the provider’s aims and values for people care to promote their equality, rights, safety and involvement. Related training, support and regular checks of care practice helped to promote this.

People, their relatives and staff were mostly informed and involved in understanding and agreeing people’s care needs. However, they were not always fully informed or involved in relation to people’s end of life care needs, which were otherwise met by kind, compassionate staff, who were appropriately trained and supported.

People received care in a timely manner when they needed assistance from staff who knew them well. Staff understood and supported people’s known daily living preferences, routines and choices and their independence. Further environmental improvements were in progress to help to promote people’s inclusion and independence.

The home was usually well managed and run and people, relatives and staff were confident about this. The provider’s arrangements for consultation and to regularly check the quality and safety of people’s care helped to make sure people received safe and effective care. Staff understood their roles and responsibilities and they were supported to raise any concerns they may have about people’s care.

Records were accurately maintained and securely stored. The provider had usually notified us of important events that happened in the service.