- Care home
The Briars Residential Care Home
Report from 8 February 2024 assessment
Contents
Ratings
Our view of the service
The Briars Residential Care home is a care home that supports older people and for those living with dementia. A maximum of 17 people can be accommodated in the adapted premises. A responsive assessment was carried out in response to information we had received. We examined areas of safety management and found that issues relating to staffing, medicines, and the environment had presented challenges for the new owners, but these had been responded to and solutions found. Improvements to the premises were being made, which enhanced the appearance and safety of the service. There were processes in place to ensure a programme of maintenance and repair was followed. The home was clean. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and they knew how to support people in a person-centred way, and in a way that promoted their independence. Risks were managed and staff had guidance to follow which was contained within care plans. People were given their medicines safely and improvements had been made to the processes to improve safety and recording. Staff treated people with kindness and respect, and knew people they supported well. Staff were well trained to carry out their role and received positive support from management. People were actively involved in decision making about their care, and staff ensured people and their families felt included and their views and preferences were listened to and acted upon. Oversight and governance processes had been improved and were being used to improve the quality of care. We saw lessons had been learned from incidents, complaints and feedback. For example, medicines management. The adapted environment posed challenges. The building was historic in nature and had been extended twice. Staff were not using lap belts when people were moved in wheelchairs, this placed people at risk of harm from falling. Following the inspection we followed up on matters and all wheelchair users had a lap belt in place utilised for their safety.
People's experience of this service
People told us they felt safe and well cared for. One person said, “I’m very happy here, nicely settled.” Relatives said that the staff were kind and caring, and that staff knew how to support their relatives. One relative told us, “I know my [relative] is safe here. There are plenty of staff. I trust them.” Our observations were that staff took time with people and knew individuals well. People received safe care from staff, who understood their individual risks and how best to support them. There were systems in place to keep people safe from abuse and harm. There were enough staff to support people well, and there were processes in place to ensure staff were recruited safely. Improvements had been made by the new provider to the general appearance and safety of the premises, and the home was well maintained and clean. Care plans had been improved and contained detail about risks, and provided staff with clearer guidance about people’s risks. Medicine administration was safe and was managed well.