Emberbrook

Updated 8 December 2022

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 Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by three inspectors 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.

Service and service type

Emberbrook is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Emberbrook is a care home with nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations. At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make.

We reviewed information received by the service which included notification of accidents, incidents or safeguarding concerns and we contacted external social care professionals who were involved in the service for their feedback. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 12 people and four relatives and one visitor to gain their views on the care provided by staff at Emberbrook. We spoke with the registered manager, two of the provider’s regional support managers as well as seven staff (which included clinical, care, catering and activity staff).

We reviewed information in relation to seven people’s care plans and related documentation, numerous medicines records, four staff recruitment files, governance systems and other information connected with the running of the service.

Following the inspection, we had a conversation with two of the registered provider’s senior managers. We received written feedback from four relatives. We also received documentation we had request from the registered manager around staff training and supervision for staff and activities.

Updated 8 December 2022

About the service

Emberbrook is a care home which provides nursing care and accommodation for up to 68 people, some of whom may be living with dementia. The home is divided into four units; two on each floor, each with their own lounge and dining areas. At the time of our inspection, 63 people were living at the service.

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

We were given mixed feedback about staffing levels, particularly in some parts of the service. There were similar views in relation to activities taking place in the service. The registered manager had recognised these areas required improvement; however, we have issued a recommendation in relation staff deployment to the registered provider.

People felt safe and well cared for at Emberbrook. They told us staff were kind, caring and showed them respect. People felt well known by staff and they received safe, effective and person-centred care. People told us their lives had improved through staff attention and access to health care professional input.

People received the medicines they required and they were provided with sufficient food and drink to help maintain their well-being. People lived in an environment that was checked for its safety, kept clean and one that was suitable for their needs. People were supported to personalise their rooms and there were communal areas that people could use.

People were cared for by staff who felt supported by their managers and staff who received sufficient training to help ensure they had the relevant skills for their role. Staff were recruited through a process which helped ensure they were suitable to work in this type of service.

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 knew how to raise any concerns or complaints and they were given the opportunity to participate in the running of the service through meetings. People said they received a good level of care and they were happy living at Emberbrook.

Relatives gave equally positive views about the care their family member received. They told us communication from management was good and relative meetings were positive.

The registered manager had a clear vision for the service and had already started to make improvements. Good governance arrangements were in place to monitor the quality of the service and the registered manager had already identified areas which required improvement. The registered manager and other staff worked well with external health and social care professionals to help improve people’s experience of living at Emberbrook.

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

Rating at last inspection and update

The last rating for this service was Requires Improvement (report published 7 October 2020). This was following a focused inspection on 27 august 2020. Prior to that we had carried out a fully comprehensive inspection on 18 June 2019 when we rated the service Requires Improvement.

At our inspection on 18 June 2019 we found the registered provider was in breach of regulations in relation to person-centred documentation, compliance with the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and insufficient staff on duty to care for people in a timely way. At this inspection, we found improvements had been made and the registered provider was no longer in breach of regulations.

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service.

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.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Emberbrook on our website at www.cqc.org.uk.

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.