Archived: Briar Dene Retirement Home

Briar Dene is a residential care home providing personal care for 25 older people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 27 people.

At the time of our inspection the provider was in the process of constructing a larger care home to the side of the existing building. The provider’s aim is to transfer the service, with necessary permissions and consents, into the new building, however, a time frame for such a move has yet to be established. The inspector asked them to submit applications to register with CQC. These documents have now been submitted and are in the process of being considered. The local authority is working with the provider to ensure meetings take place to discuss the future placements for the residents living at Briar Dene Retirement Home.

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

People received care and support in a safe environment. Risks had been identified, assessed and measures were in place to guide staff on how to reduce them. Health and safety audits were completed to ensure maintenance of the premises. Staff understood and practiced good infection prevention and control procedures. Staffing levels were regularly reviewed to ensure people’s needs were met. Recruitment procedures ensured staff were suitable to work in a care setting.

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.

Staff received regular training, supervision and annual appraisals. People were supported to access support and advice from health professionals when needed. People told us the food was very nice and it looked appetising.

Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity, whilst supporting them to remain as independent as they could be. People told us staff were caring and kind towards them.

People told us they chose which activities they would like to participate in and made some suggestions for future events and activities which we brought to the attention of the provider. Complaints were appropriately responded to, and systems were in place to support people with end of life care.

Quality assurance systems were being updated and records changed from paper based to electronic during this inspection. This had been identified by the provider as an areas requiring improvement so more oversight was in place to drive and enhance the quality 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 Good (published 01 April 2017).

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.

At the last inspection, the service was rated ‘Good’. At this inspection we found the service remained ‘Good’.

People told us they felt safe and were well cared for. The registered provider completed recruitment checks, to ensure suitable staff were employed. There were sufficient staff employed to assist people in a timely way. People’s medicines were managed safely.

Staff had completed relevant induction and training. Staff were being supervised but this was not being formally recorded. We have made a recommendation in our report about this.

People were supported to have choice and control of their lives. Staff supported people in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People said they enjoyed good food. People's health needs were identified and staff worked with other professionals to ensure these needs were met.

Staff were knowledgeable about people’s individual care needs and care plans were person centred and detailed. There was a range of social activities available and people’s spiritual needs were met through in-house services and one-to-one pastoral care when requested.

People told us that the service was well managed and organised. The registered manager assessed and monitored the quality of care provided to people. People and staff were asked for their views and their suggestions were used to continuously improve the service.

The service met all relevant fundamental standards we inspect against.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.

We saw that action had been taken in response to the shortfalls that had been identified in the last inspection. We found that an improved system of medicine audits and checks was in place, which helped to identify any discrepancies promptly. Effective systems were in place for gathering, recording and evaluating accurate information about the quality and safety of care, treatment and support the service provided, and its outcomes.

During our inspection we observed that staff spent time with the people in their care and they were respectful, kind and friendly in their approach. We saw a group of people who used the service joined in with a conversation about current news affairs and people we spoke with were positive about the care they received at Briar Dene Retirement Home. One person said to us 'They (the staff) always check if everything is alright for me, I don't have any complaints.'

We found people were being looked after by friendly, supportive staff within a warm and homely environment. The food offered to people was well cooked and offered them a choice of meals. Care was personalised and reflected people's choices and decisions. Care records were up to date.

People told us 'We get our medicine on time and when we need it', but we found that appropriate arrangements were not in place in relation to recording, handling and safely administering medicines to people who used the service.

We saw that there were sufficient numbers of staff on duty to meet the needs of the people who used the service. One person told us, 'Staff are friendly and give us the support and help we need.'

Whilst the service was well maintained and designed to suit the needs of the people who lived there, we found that improvements were needed to the quality assurance system to ensure the provider identified, assessed and managed risks relating to the health, safety and welfare of people who used the service.