7 February 2023
During a routine inspection
Branch Court Care Home is a residential care home providing accommodation and personal care for up to a maximum of 30 people in one purpose built building. The service specialises in providing care for older people and people with dementia. There were 17 people living in the home at the time of the inspection.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
We found shortfalls during the inspection in respect to the management of risk and the governance and record keeping systems.
People told us they felt safe living in the home, and they were happy with the service provided. Staff understood how to protect people from harm or discrimination and had access to safeguarding adults’ procedures. There were sufficient numbers of staff deployed to meet people's needs and ensure their safety. The provider had an appropriate procedure for the recruitment of new staff. There were shortfalls in some people’s care plans and risks to people’s health, safety and well-being had not always been assessed and recorded. The home had a good standard of cleanliness throughout. People’s medicines were handled safely but on occasion supporting written information was not personalised.
People were supported to eat a nutritionally balanced diet and to maintain their health. People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible. Whilst there were appropriate policies and systems, mental capacity assessments had not been carried out. We made a recommendation about this. People's needs were assessed prior to them using the service. There was ongoing training for all staff. Staff were well supported by the manager.
Staff treated people with kindness and respect and spent time getting to know them and their specific needs and wishes. We observed positive interactions between staff and people who lived in the home. However, people were provided with limited opportunities to express their views about the service. People’s dignity was not always promoted due to the condition of the bathroom flooring and uneven surfaces in some corridors and bedrooms. We made a recommendation about this. We received assurances from the provider’s representative that all necessary improvements would be made to the building.
People’s care plans had not always been updated in line with changing needs. The deputy managers were in the process of updating the plans during the inspection. People were given the opportunity to participate in activities, however, there were limited planned activities and the manager had identified this as an area for development. People told us they were confident any concerns would be resolved quickly. The manager had maintained detailed records of a complaint investigation, however, there were no records of complaints received during 2022.
Whilst some audits and checks had been carried out, others had not been completed for some time. People had not been given the opportunity to complete a satisfaction survey or participate in residents’ meetings.
The manager was new in post and was working hard to make improvements to the service. All people, their relatives, staff and visiting professionals praised her open and honest leadership style. The manager was committed to making the necessary improvements to the service and had made notable progress in a short space of time. Following the inspection, the manager sent us a detailed action plan to address the issues found at the inspection.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at the last inspection
The last rating for the service was good (published 8 April 2019).
Why we inspected
The inspection was prompted in part due to concerns received about the management of the home, the management of medicines, person centred care and staffing. A decision was made for us to inspect and examine those risks.
We have found evidence that the provider needs to make improvements. You can see what action we have asked the provider to take at the end of this full report.
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.
Enforcement and Recommendations
We are mindful of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our regulatory function. This meant we took account of the exceptional circumstances arising as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic when considering what enforcement action was necessary and proportionate to keep people safe as a result of this inspection. We will continue to monitor the service and will take further action if needed.
We have identified breaches in relation to the management of risks and the governance and record keeping systems. We also made recommendations about the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act and the environment. Please see the action we have told the provider to take at the end of this report.
Follow up
We will request an action plan from the provider to understand what they will do to improve the standards of quality and safety. We will work alongside the provider and local authority to monitor progress. We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.