Barclay House

Updated 2 September 2020

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.

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

This inspection took place on 19 August 2020 and was announced. The service was selected to take part in this thematic review which is seeking to identify examples of good practice in infection prevention and control.

Updated 2 September 2020

About the service

Barclay House is a service specialising in the rehabilitation and longer term placements for people living with acquired brain injuries. The service provides personal and nursing care for up to 29 people including six placements which are for people detained under the Mental Health Act. At the time of our inspection, there were 24 people using the service.

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

People's safety was promoted; staff understood how to protect people from the risk of harm and understood potential signs of abuse. People were involved in assessments of potential risks to their safety and in identifying measures to keep them safe. Care plans provided clear guidance for staff to follow. People were supported by a consistent team of staff who were safely recruited. People received their medicines as prescribed and were protected from the risk of infections through staff working practices.

Staff received training, supervision and support so they could effectively perform their roles and meet people's needs. People were provided with care and support that ensured they had good nutrition and hydration and access to timely healthcare that maintained their health and wellbeing. 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 and those important to them were involved in the planning and development of their care and support. Staff were skilled at enabling people to communicate their choices and decisions. Staff were described as very caring, understanding, patient and supportive. Staff knew people well and used this knowledge to provide personalised care. Staff respected and promoted people's rights, including their right to be treated with respect and dignity.

People were supported through a rehabilitation pathway which focussed on developing daily living skills and communication and reducing the risk of social isolation. People were engaged in meaningful activities and had access to a range of specialist on-site therapies and services. Staff supported people to access the local community and maintain relationships with friends and family where appropriate. The provider welcomed complaints and used these to drive development within the service.

The registered manager supported people, visitors and staff to share their views about the service. They used this feedback, together with outcomes from robust audits and checks, to identify where improvements were needed and take the necessary actions to implement these. They were open and transparent in sharing information about actions taken and lessons learnt within the service. The registered manager and staff were passionate about ensuring people were provided with good care and support in order to achieve the best possible outcomes. They worked in partnership with a range of health and social care professionals to achieve this.

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

Rating at last inspection

The service was rated as Good at the last inspection, published on 1 March 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.