Brendoncare Alton

Updated 24 October 2019

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 Care Act 2014.

Inspection team

The inspection was completed on day one by an inspector, an assistant inspector, a specialist advisor and an Expert by Experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service. On day two the inspection was completed by one inspector. The local fire service also completed a routine inspection on the first morning of the inspection.

Service and service type

Brendoncare Alton is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as single package under one contractual agreement. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

The service had a manager registered with the Care Quality Commission. This means that they and the provider are legally responsible for how the service is run and for the quality and safety of the care provided.

Notice of inspection

We gave 24 hours’ notice of the inspection because we needed to ask the provider if the fire service could complete their routine inspection in conjunction with us.

What we did before the inspection

We contacted two commissioners of care for their views of the service provided. We reviewed notifications and information we had received about the service since the last inspection.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return. This is information providers are required to send us with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. This information helps support our inspections. We used all of this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 11 people who used the service and one relative about their experience of the care provided. We also spoke with one of the volunteers at the service. We spoke with 17 members of staff including the registered manager, one of the two deputy managers, the head of care, four nurses, five care staff, an activities co-ordinator, the chef, the property services manager, the housekeeper, and the practice educator. We also spoke with a visiting health care professional. We observed staff interactions with people on four households and the morning senior staff handover.

We reviewed a range of records. This included seven people’s care records and multiple medication records. We looked at seven staff files in relation to recruitment and staff supervision. A variety of records relating to the management of the service, including policies and procedures were reviewed.

Updated 24 October 2019

About the service

Brendoncare Alton is a large nursing home providing personal and nursing care to 60 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. The service can support up to 80 people.

Brendoncare Alton provides purpose-built accommodation across five households, each with their own facilities. Two of the households specialise in providing care to people living with dementia. At the time of the inspection, the service was coming to the end of a major refurbishment programme. Four of the five households were in use and re-development of the final household was almost complete.

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

People were safeguarded from the risk of abuse and processes were in place to share any relevant learning from incidents, to reduce the risk of re-occurrence. Staff ensured people received their medicines safely and as required. There were sufficient staff to meet peoples’ care needs in a timely manner.

Staff’s delivery of care to people incorporated best practice guidance. People received their care from well trained staff who had on-going support and supervision in their role. Staff ensured any referrals to other services were made promptly for people and their healthcare needs were met. People benefited from the well designed and thoughtfully decorated environment, which was clean, homely, familiar and attractive.

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 treated people with kindness, respect and compassion as they provided their care. People were encouraged to express their views and to be actively involved in decisions where possible. Staff ensured people’s privacy and dignity was upheld during the provision of their care.

People received individualised care, planned around their needs and preferences. People were provided with opportunities for activity and social contact. People’s complaints were listened to and responded to appropriately. People were consulted about their end of life wishes and were well supported.

There was a positive, open culture focused on achieving good outcomes for people. The provider ensured people and staff’s views were sought and acted upon. There was a clear governance framework for the service. Processes were in place to identify any potential risks to people’s safety or the quality of the service and to drive improvements. The service worked with key organisations to enhance the delivery of people’s care.

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 30 June 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.