Archived: Bircham House

Bircham House is a domiciliary care agency, registered to provide personal care to people living in their own flats within an extra care housing scheme in Cambridge.

Not everyone who used the service received personal care. CQC only inspects where people receive personal care. This is help with tasks related to personal hygiene and eating. Where they do, we also consider any wider social care provided. At the time of our inspection there were 17 people receiving personal care from the service.

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

The provider’s electronic employment application form did not request full employment history from applicants.

We have made a recommendation for the provider to review their electronic application form to ensure it requests applicant’s full employment history.

People told us they felt safe. Risks had been assessed and enough staff were available to meet the needs of people. Medicines were administered as prescribed; staff had completed training and their competency had been assessed. Infection control procedures were effective, and reporting systems were in place to monitor incidents and accidents if they occurred. Lessons learnt were reviewed and shared with staff.

People’s needs were assessed, met and reviewed by trained and knowledgeable staff. People were involved in the care planning process. Care plans were in place and provided guidance to staff. Staff were aware of the dietary and healthcare requirements of the people they supported. Staff assisted people to have healthcare reviews as required and acted upon the advice provided.

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 told us staff were kind and caring and promoted their independence and choice. Staff knew people well and respected their privacy and dignity.

A new registered manager was in post and people, relatives and staff were aware of their appointment. People, relatives and staff felt able to approach the registered manager with any concerns and told us they felt these would be acknowledged and acted upon. The provider’s systems allowed for quality monitoring to take place at the service which drove continuous 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 01 July 2019 and this is the first inspection.

The last rating for the service under the previous provider was good, published on 14 September 2017.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as a newly registered service.

Recommendations

We have made a recommendation to the provider to review their electronic employment application form. This is to ensure full employment history, and gaps in employment is explored for prospective staff.