Bartletts Residential Home

Updated 2 March 2021

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection was planned to check whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

As part of CQC’s response to the coronavirus pandemic we are looking at the preparedness of care homes in relation to infection prevention and control. This was a targeted inspection looking at the infection control and prevention measures the provider has in place.

This inspection took place on 18 February 2021 and was announced.

Updated 2 March 2021

This inspection took place on 15, 16 and 21 November 2018. It was an unannounced visit to the service.

Bartletts Residential Home is a care home. It is registered to support older people, some who are living with dementia. The original building is a Victorian country house built in 1856, over the years it has been added to and now provides care and support for 50 people. At the time of our inspection 43 people were being supported. Accommodation was spread over three floors in the original building and two floors in the newer build areas. People had access to a wide range of communal seating areas, dinning spaces and sociable area. The home benefitted from extensive well-maintained grounds with stunning views across the Chilterns.

At our last inspection we rated the service good. At this inspection we found the evidence continued to support the rating of good and there was no evidence or information from our inspection and ongoing monitoring that demonstrated serious risks or concerns. This inspection report is written in a shorter format because our overall rating of the service has not changed since our last inspection.

At this inspection we found the service remained Good.

The care home had a warm a welcoming feel, staff were keen to talk to us, relatives told us they liked that care staff smiled and engaged with their family member in a positive way.

We received positive comments from people and their relatives about their experience of Bartletts Residential Home, these included “Excellent. I went to quite a few care homes before this. I won’t say they were horrible, but just not somewhere I would like to spend the rest of my life. I had the feeling the day I came here, this is for me. They are all so welcoming,” “It is the best thing that happened to me to come to live here” and “The carers are absolutely wonderful.”

At our last inspection we made a recommendation about the management of risks. People had been exposed to risk of burning from an iron press and strangulation from unsecured blind cords. At this inspection we found improvements had been made in these areas. However, we found staff had not always been trained to use equipment used to support people in the event of a fire. Fire drills were carried out, however, no learning or evaluation was recorded about them. We have made a recommendation about this in the report. Other environmental risks were managed well.

Risks posed to people as a result of their medical condition had been assessed, however, risk assessments and care plans did not always reflect the same level of risk. We found records relating to people’s care was not always representative of the care and support delivered. We have made a recommendation about this in the report.

People were routinely protected from abuse and staff had good knowledge on how to recognise potential signs of abuse. Staff had been recruited safely to ensure they had the corrects skills and attributes to work with people.

The home was maintained to a high level of hygiene, however, the décor could be confusing to people with memory loss or a diagnosed dementia. We spoke with the registered manager about this. They were aware of the issue and had discussed this with the provider.

Staff had been supported to maintain their skills and learn new skills. Staff told us they felt supported.

People were supported by staff who treated them with dignity and respect. Comments from people included, “Everyone was so kind when I came here, not fussy kind, but treated me like a human being. They are very good at the job. Though sometimes they are very busy. But they do give you time to talk. I know I keep saying it’s all good, all good, but it really is good” and “Oh yes of course, as I said, they treat you like a human being. I have privacy in my room, and you can do anything you want to do. My son visits regularly. They do treat you with dignity and respect. I get treated very well.”

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

The service was run by a well-established and experienced team. All senior managers worked well together. Systems were in place to monitor the quality of the service provided. The provider had been nominated and had won ‘Care employer award’ at a recent care provider’s association annual care awards ceremony. The registered manager had received a certificate of recognition at the awards held in 2017 for understanding effective leadership. The provider had been awarded in the top 20 recommended small care home groups on a well-known care home search engine often used by people looking for a care home.

The home had forged links with the local community and supported people to engage in meaningful activities.

Further information is in the detailed findings below.