Updated 18 January 2023
The inspection
We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.
Inspection team
One inspector carried out this inspection.
Service and service type
Brunel House is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Brunel House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.
Registered Manager
This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.
At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.
Notice of inspection
We gave the service 24 hours’ notice of the inspection. This was because the service is small, and people are often out, and we wanted to be sure there would be people at home to speak with us.
Inspection activity started on 30 November 2022 and ended on 14 December 2022 when we gave feedback to the provider and registered manager. We visited the location on 30 November 2022 and 5 December 2022.
What we did before inspection
We reviewed information we had received about the service since it registered with CQC. We sought feedback from the local authority and Healthwatch. Healthwatch is an independent consumer champion that gathers and represents the views of the public about health and social care services in England. We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.
During the inspection
We met, spoke with or had feedback from six of the seven people living in the service. We used the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI). SOFI is a way of observing care to help us understand the experience of people who could not talk with us. We also spent time in communal areas including a time when people were having their evening meal. We contacted and spoke with or had written feedback from three relatives and four professionals who work with the staff to support people with their health needs. We met with and had telephone discussions with or written feedback from 11 staff.
As part of our inspection we observed medicines administration, looked at recruitment files, four medicines administration records (MAR), care plans and risk assessments and other records relating to the running of the service such as audits and incident records. All documents we requested were sent to us in a timely way.