Brook House Care Home

Brook House Care Home is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care for up to 53 older people, some of whom live with a dementia. At the time of the visit there were 22 people using the service.

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

People were supported by staff who had been safely recruited and received sufficient training to meet their needs. Risk assessments were completed to ensure staff had all the information to support people safely.

People were protected from infections such as COVID-19. Cleaning schedules were in place and staff wore appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). The provider followed government guidance on COVID-19 testing and visiting within the home.

People were supported to maintain good health. Medicines were appropriately managed, and staff supported people with healthcare appointments such as doctors and dentists. If a need was identified the registered manager made referrals to external health professionals.

People received person centred care. Care plans were reflective of people’s needs and detailed information to support staff to get to know people. People and relatives told us staff were kind and caring.

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 were supported to stay in contact with their friends and family. People were offered regular activities and staff supported them to access religious services and events to meet their cultural, spiritual and religious needs.

The provider had processes in place to allow people, relatives and staff to make complaints and suggestions to improve the service. The registered manager completed audits to ensure effective oversight of the service.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was inspected but not rated (published 12 March 2021)

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection.

We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.

We found the following examples of good practice.

¿ The provider had ensured there was a plentiful supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and we saw staff use this appropriately. There were a number of PPE stations in the corridors near people's bedrooms. This meant staff had easy access to plentiful supplies of masks, gloves, aprons and hand sanitiser to use when they were in close contact with people.

¿ A regular programme of testing for COVID-19 was in place for staff and people who lived in the service. This included weekly testing for all staff along with twice weekly rapid lateral flow tests. This meant swift action could be taken if any positive results were received.

¿ Enhanced cleaning and disinfection took place to reduce the risk of infection spread. This included high touch areas such as door handles and handrails. Checklists were used to record and monitor cleaning tasks.

¿ Infection prevention and control audits took place which ensured the registered manager had oversight of all aspects of infection control. Policies, procedures and risk assessments related to COVID-19 were up to date which supported staff keep people safe.

¿ The laundry area was clean and organised. Areas were cleaned and disinfected with approved products to reduce the potential transfer of infection. Staff were aware of the process to disinfect floors and hard surfaces.

¿ Visitors had been discouraged by the organisation to enter the service, following national and local guidelines. The registered manager was keeping this under review with the organisation to ensure a phased approach to visits, in line with government guidelines.

¿ Safe arrangements were in place for visits by health professionals and visits were planned in advance. This included a temperature check, pulse oximeter reading upon arrival and the provision of PPE including masks and hand sanitiser.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.