CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Bradfield Residential Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People told inspectors they felt safe. Risks, medicines, staffing, recruitment, infection control and accidents were managed through systems that inspectors found effective.
- Effective?
- Good
- People received suitable food, staff training and healthcare support. The home had improved its design to help people living with dementia or visual impairment.
- Caring?
- Good
- No separate current rating is given for Caring in this report.
- Responsive?
- Good
- No separate current rating is given for Responsive in this report.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found regular checks, action plans for shortfalls, open communication and opportunities for people, relatives and staff to give feedback.
What inspectors found, August 2022
Bradfield Residential Home rated Good; inspectors found safe, effective and well-led care, with improvements since the previous inspection.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 28 July 2022. One inspector spoke with people, relatives and staff, observed care, and checked care plans, medicines, recruitment records and management checks.
People said they were happy and felt safe. Inspectors found suitable risk assessments, safe medicines systems, enough staff, appropriate training and good infection control. The home was clean and adapted to help people living with dementia or visual impairment.
The home was judged Good for Safe, Effective and Well-led. The report says the previous rating was Requires Improvement, published in April 2019. Improvements had been made in managing legionella and adapting the building.
People felt safe
People told inspectors they were happy and felt safe. Staff understood safeguarding and how to report concerns.
“People told us they were happy and felt safe living at the service.” from the report
Medicines were well managed
The electronic medicines system recorded administration and stock. Inspectors found administration records accurate and storage temperatures suitable.
“Medicines were managed safely. Staff used an electronic system to record administration and stock.” from the report
Support was person-centred
Staff knew people's backgrounds, preferences and family histories. Relatives said care was personal and reassuring.
“They knew people's backgrounds and family history in detail, this helped them to support people in a person centred way.” from the report
Food and healthcare support
People had meal choices and support to eat and drink. Staff referred people to healthcare professionals when their needs changed.
“When people needed support with their meals, they were given protected time to make sure they were not rushed.” from the report
Improvements since 2019
The provider acted on recommendations about legionella and the design of the building for people with dementia or visual impairment.
“At this inspection we found provider had acted on these recommendations and they had made improvements.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How do you continue to monitor and manage the legionella risk, including checks on water tanks and little-used outlets?
- 02How do the signs, pictorial labels and memory boxes help my relative find their way around the home?
- 03What activities are now available, and how are residents' suggestions used to plan them?
- 04How will you make sure my relative's meal choices, texture needs and support at mealtimes are recorded and followed?
- 05How do you review falls and check that measures such as sensor mats and bedrails remain effective?
This was an unannounced focused inspection that examined Safe, Effective and Well-led; the report does not give separate current ratings for Caring or Responsive. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 August 2022 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
What inspectors found, April 2019
Bradfield Residential Home rated Requires Improvement; inspectors found kind, personalised care but weaknesses in water safety, dementia-friendly design and quality checks.
Inspectors visited on 23 and 29 January 2019. The first visit was unannounced and the second was announced. They spoke with people living there, relatives, staff and outside organisations. They also observed care and checked care plans, medicines records, staff files and audits.
The home was caring and responsive. People were treated with kindness, involved in decisions and supported to follow their interests. Care plans were personal and up to date. Inspectors also found enough staff, safe medicines systems, good food and appropriate support from health professionals.
The home was not meeting all safety and effectiveness requirements. Water safety checks did not properly reduce the risk of legionella. The building had not been adapted well enough for people living with dementia or visual impairment. Quality checks had not identified these problems.
The overall rating was Requires Improvement. Safe and Effective were also Requires Improvement. Caring, Responsive and Well-led were rated Good. This was a decline from the previous overall rating of Outstanding in 2015.
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw staff listening to people, explaining care and supporting their dignity. People were treated as individuals and encouraged to make choices.
“We observed that people continued to be treated with kindness, compassion and respect.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's health needs, life stories, likes, dislikes and independence. They were reviewed and updated when people's needs changed.
“Care plans were accurate and up to date.” from the report
Good support with food
People were offered choices and staff knew their dietary needs and preferences. Meals, drinks and snacks were provided in ways that supported people's health.
“Meals were served straight from the kitchen and looked fresh and appetising.” from the report
Compassionate end of life care
The home worked with health professionals and recorded people's wishes and pain management needs. Families were kept informed during end of life care.
“People received end of life care based on recognised best practice based on a Gold Standard Framework (GSF).” from the report
Safe medicines practice
Staff were trained and checked as competent. Medicines were stored securely, records were completed correctly and stocks matched the records.
“The medicines administration (MAR's) records were correctly completed.” from the report
Water safety
seriousThe home had not completed a proper water system risk assessment. Water tanks were not cleaned regularly and the planned frequency of testing had not been maintained, increasing the risk from waterborne illness.
“The risks from waterborne illnesses such as legionella had not been minimised by proper testing in line with guidance published for care homes by the Health and Safety Executive.” from the report
Building not dementia-friendly
needs fixingCorridor walls, floors and doors were the same colour, with few picture signs. Inspectors found no suitable adaptations to help people with visual impairment move around independently or safely.
“The wider premises had not been adapted to meet the needs of these individual people.” from the report
Quality checks missed problems
needs fixingManagers had audits and monitoring systems, but these had not identified the water safety and premises issues before inspectors found them.
“These systems were not fully robust as they had not identified the areas for improvement we found during the inspection.” from the report
- 01Has a proper risk assessment of the water system been completed, and how often are the tanks cleaned and the water tested now?
- 02What changes have been made to help people with dementia find bedrooms, toilets, lounges and dining areas?
- 03What adaptations are available to help people with visual impairment move around the home independently and safely?
- 04How do managers now check that safety risks and premises problems are identified and fixed promptly?
- 05What evidence can you show of improvement since the previous rating of Outstanding in 2015?
This inspection looked at the premises and care across all five CQC questions, using observations, discussions and records; the previous comprehensive inspection was in 2015. This explanation was written from the published report of 10 April 2019 by an AI system and checked against the report text: every quoted line appears in the report. It is a guide to the report, not a substitute for it. Read the full report on cqc.org.uk.
Every inspection of Bradfield Residential Home
3 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has slipped, from Outstanding to Good.
- August 2022Goodcurrent ratingup from Requires improvementSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2019Requires improvementdown from OutstandingSafe: Requires improvementEffective: Requires improvementWell-led: Good
- December 2015OutstandingSafe: GoodEffective: OutstandingCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- November 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- November 2010
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 26 November 2010.
Ratings and report dates from the Care Quality Commission, Open Government Licence v3.0. A home can also be visited without a new rating being published, so the timeline shows published inspections.
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