Blackbrook House

Updated 18 January 2020

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked 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.

Inspection team:

One inspector and an expert by experience conducted the inspection. An expert by experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. The expert at this inspection had experience of caring for someone with dementia.

Service and service type:

Blackbrook House is a care home which is registered to provide accommodation and personal care for up to 55 people. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care

as 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 manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means 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, we reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. This included details about incidents the provider must notify us about. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection, we spoke with eight people using the service, six relatives, the registered manager, the regional support manager, seven staff and two professionals. We looked at records in relation to people who used the service including four care plans and four medication records.

We looked at records relating to recruitment, training and systems for monitoring quality.

After the inspection, we continued to seek information from the service regarding lessons learned and quality assurance systems.

Updated 18 January 2020

About the service

Blackbrook House is a residential care home providing personal care for up to 55 people aged 65 and over. At the time of the inspection, the service was supporting 45 people. Blackbrook House accommodates people in two separate wings. Munnings wing specialises in providing care to people living with dementia.

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

Risk assessments were not always effective in ensuring people were kept safe and some improvement was required in the management of medicines. People and their relatives were complimentary about the care provided at Blackbrook House and there were enough competent staff to support people safely according to their needs and preferences. The environment was clean and comfortable. People received care from staff who understood how to recognise and report issues of concern

People's needs were assessed before they moved into the service, so they could be supported effectively. Staff received training, support and supervision to carry out their roles and responsibilities. People enjoyed a varied and nutritious diet. Staff worked well with external professionals to promote people’s health and wellbeing and ensure positive outcomes. 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.

The culture of the service was positive, kind and caring and the staff team were motivated and passionate. Staff knew people well and supported people with dignity and respect. People were encouraged to be as independent as possible.

Care plans were detailed and provided good information for staff to follow to support people effectively. People had the choice to participate in a range of activities which promoted a good quality of life. People knew how to raise a complaint and their views were listened to and investigated. End of life planning was being further developed to ensure people’s wishes were recorded.

The registered manager was visible and approachable, and we received positive feedback about how the service was managed. Staff had a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and their views were used to ensure the service continuously improved. Audits were completed, however these required further improvement to ensure they were effective in identifying issues across the service. The management team were proactive in promptly addressing the issues found at inspection.

Rating at last inspection: Good (published 27 May 2017)

Why we inspected: This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.