Briardene Care Home

Updated 22 February 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.

We received information of concern about visiting arrangements at this service. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection prevention and control measures 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 17 January 2022 and was unannounced.

Updated 22 February 2022

This inspection took place on 10 and 14 January 2019. The first day of the inspection was unannounced which means the provider and staff did not know we were coming.

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

Briardene Care Home accommodates 31 people across two purpose built sites. The service provides care for people with complex needs associated with dementia.

There was a registered manager 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.

We previously inspected the service in December 2015 and rated the service as good overall. At this inspection we found that the service had improved further and was outstanding overall.

Without exception staff and management worked in a way that put the needs of people living at Briardene first. Care plans were written in an extremely sensitive and thoughtful way. Staff knew every person they cared for in depth, what was important to them and the best way to provide care to them.

We observed care being delivered in a way that truly reflected the provider’s values of respect, integrity, responsibility, passion and empowerment. The ethos of putting the person at the centre of everything was driven from the top. The registered manager and deputy led by example and there was a pride and passion for the home that was reflected in everything the management team did. This in turn inspired staff to do their best to deliver the extremely high standard of care that was observed throughout the inspection.

Relatives told us the service provided safe care to their loved ones and peace of mind for them. Falls, accidents or incidents were closely monitored to ensure lessons were learned and future risks minimised.

Throughout the inspection we found there to be plenty of staff, not only to meet people’s basic care needs but to spend time with them on a one to one basis, engaging in a meaningful and caring way. Relatives we spoke to told us about the positive impact this level of interaction with staff had on their loved ones. They described how people had become more engaged after moving to the service, dancing, laughing and talking more.

The service was very forward thinking and proactive in their approach to people’s health and wellbeing. A full time holistic therapist was employed at the service and worked closely with other health professionals to achieve exceptionally positive outcomes for people. There was a team of four dedicated therapy and activity staff who were each focused on caring for and supporting people to live a meaningful life best to their ability.

A very in-depth assessment of a person’s needs was done prior to them moving to the service. These assessments looked at all aspects of a person’s care needs and formed the basis of the initial care planning. Respecting diversity and challenging inequality was part of the provider's values and working practices incorporated this ethos. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. The service adopted an inclusive approach to planning end of life care and ensured people’s wishes were explored and recorded.

Feedback from people and their relatives was all extremely positive. People were cared for by a dedicated staff team who were proud of the work they did. Staff were very responsive to people, reading body language and responding accordingly to minimise any distress. Relatives were made to feel very welcome when visiting and told us how staff also did their very best to support the whole family not just this individual. Relatives all felt very involved in their loved ones’ care and spoke very highly of the management of the service.

There was an excellent level of management oversight. The registered manager and deputy were able to answer any questions about the service with confidence and ease. Records were well organised, up to date and extremely comprehensive. A comprehensive system of audits was in place that ensured the standards within the home were regularly monitored to maintain the existing high standards. The service had not received any complaints since our last inspection.

People received their medicines as prescribed and records were correctly completed. Medicines were stored in line with best practice guidelines and stock levels were appropriately managed. Health and social care professionals gave very positive feedback about the service and staff team.

There was a plan in place for dealing with emergency situations so people would continue to receive the appropriate support. All necessary maintenance checks were done and maintenance records were extremely well maintained.

Staff training was monitored closely and staff were up to date with essential courses. Staff were supported by a system of supervision meetings and annual appraisals. Staff meetings were also held regularly and feedback was sought from staff via annual surveys.

There were good links with the local community. For example, the ‘Safe in Tees Valley’ police cadet programme provided senior cadets who were dementia champions, to train care staff how to use some new technology that had been introduced into the home. People from the service accessed local pubs, shops and cafes and were therefore encouraged to be an active part of the local community.