Archived: Brownscombe Lodge

Updated 30 December 2021

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.

As part of this inspection we looked at the infection control and prevention measures in place. This was conducted so we can understand the preparedness of the service in preventing or managing an infection outbreak, and to identify good practice we can share with other services.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by two inspectors.

Service and service type

Brownscombe Lodge is a ‘care home’. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing or personal care as a 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 who has registered with the Care Quality Commission since the inspection. 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

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since registration. We sought feedback from the local authority and professionals who work with the service. 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 four people who used the service about their experience of the care provided. We spoke with five members of staff including the registered manager, nurses and care staff.

We reviewed a range of records. This included four people's care records and multiple medication records. We looked at three staff files in relation to recruitment.

After the Inspection

We spoke to the relative of someone who lived at the service and one further social care professional who had worked alongside Brownscombe Lodge. We continued to seek clarification from the provider to validate evidence found. We reviewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance records, staff training records and policies and procedures.

Updated 30 December 2021

About the service

Brownscombe Lodge is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to 16 people aged 65 and over at the time of the inspection. This included some people living with dementia. The service can support up to 24 people in one purpose-built building.

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

People told us they felt safe living at Brownscombe House. One person told us, “I’ve always felt safe here.” Staff were recruited safely but there were times during the day when the service needed more staff on duty. This was addressed by the manager immediately following the inspection. The home was clean and had safe infection prevention and control practices and procedures in place.

People were not supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff did not support them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service did not support this practice. This was because best interest decisions had not been recorded for people when they had been assessed as not having mental capacity to make decisions about some aspects of their care.

Not all staff working at the service had received regular supervision and we saw there was a delay before people received some meals. People we spoke to told us this was a regular occurrence. People’s needs had been thoroughly assessed before they moved to Brownscombe Lodge and access to healthcare professionals was well supported.

People spoke positively about living at Brownscombe Lodge and liked the staff who supported them. People were treated kindly and had their privacy and dignity protected.

Care plans and other documents detailed people's care needs and staff used these to provide people with the right care and support. People were able to do the things they enjoyed and were supported to have contact with people who were important to them.

Management oversight at the service was not always effective. We found that although regular audits of records were carried out, these did not always identify issues at the service which required attention. People living at the service and staff had confidence in the manager and the service worked well with other professionals to improve 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

This service was registered with us on 26 March 2020 and this is the first inspection.

Why we inspected

This was a planned inspection as the service had not been previously inspected.

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

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 discharge our regulatory enforcement functions required to keep people safe and to hold providers to account where it is necessary for us to do so.

We have identified a breach in relation to consent for support at this inspection. 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 for 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 return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.