CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Brambles Care Home
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- People were protected from abuse and avoidable harm. Inspectors found enough staff, suitable recruitment checks, safe medicine storage and reviewed risk assessments, but noted previous errors in medicine recording and a lack of auditing.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs were assessed before they moved in and staff had the skills to support them. Some infection control training was out of date for some staff, although an action plan was in place.
- Caring?
- Good
- People were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. They were involved in care planning and supported to maintain their independence, privacy, equality and personal choices.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed. There were many activities, community trips and communication aids, but some people said they wanted more variety in meals.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Inspectors found an open, inclusive culture and approachable management. Audits and an action plan were used to identify and address issues including staff training, medicine audits and storage of cleaning materials.
What inspectors found, December 2019
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, personalised care, but noted medicine records, staff training and meal variety needed attention.
This was an unannounced, planned inspection on 7 November 2019. One inspector spoke with seven people, three relatives and six staff. They observed care and checked care plans, medicine records, staff files and management records.
The home was rated Good overall and Good in all five areas: Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine storage, clean premises and suitable checks to protect people from abuse and avoidable harm.
People received personalised care and were involved in planning it. Inspectors found kind staff, a wide range of activities, good links with the community and strong management. They also found some staff training was out of date, medicine recording and auditing had previously had problems, and some people wanted more meal variety.
Personalised care
People were involved in their assessments, care plans and reviews. Plans included their preferences, life history, interests and daily support needs.
“Care and support was of an excellent standard and person centred.” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives spoke very positively about staff. Inspectors observed sensitive, caring and respectful interactions.
“We observed staff interacted with people in a sensitive, caring and respectful manner and people were clearly at ease in the company of staff.” from the report
Activities and community links
People helped choose and sometimes led activities. The home also supported trips, visits and relationships with the local community.
“There was a wide range of activities provided, which were decided upon by people during the residents and relatives meetings.” from the report
Open management
People, relatives and staff said management was approachable and supportive. People had regular opportunities to raise concerns and suggest improvements.
“The service had an open and inclusive culture which was person centred and achieved positive outcomes for people.” from the report
Staffing and premises
Inspectors found enough staff to meet people's needs, prompt responses to call bells and clean premises. Equipment and fire safety arrangements were checked.
“There were enough staff working at the service to meet people's needs in a safe manner.” from the report
Medicine records and audits
needs fixingThe home had identified errors in medicine recording and a lack of medicine auditing. A new auditing system and paperwork were in place, but this was an area to check closely.
“The home manager told us they had identified there had been some errors with medicines recording and that there was a lack of auditing in relation to medicines.” from the report
Out-of-date staff training
needs fixingSome training, including infection control training, was not up to date for some staff. Management had identified this and had a plan to update it.
“Some training, such infection control training, was not up to date for a proportion of staff.” from the report
Dental care records
minorDental care was recorded for some people but not everyone. Some appointments were arranged privately by families and were not always recorded, and some people had chosen not to see a dentist.
“The records for some people showed they had access to dental care, but not everyone's did.” from the report
- 01What medicine recording errors were identified, and how do your current audits show that they have been resolved?
- 02Are all staff now up to date with infection control and other required training?
- 03What changes were made after people asked for more variety in meals?
- 04How do you record dental appointments arranged by families, and how are people's decisions about dental care documented?
- 05What action was taken about the shortfalls in the storage of cleaning materials and equipment?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, with the previous overall rating and four question ratings remaining Good; Responsive changed from Outstanding to Good. This explanation was written from the published report of 21 December 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.
What inspectors found, April 2017
Brambles Care Home was rated Good overall; inspectors found kind, safe care and Outstanding support for people's individual needs.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 2 and 3 March 2017. Inspectors observed care, spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals, and checked care records, medicines, staffing, recruitment, training, safety checks and feedback.
The home was rated Good overall. It was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring and Well-led. It was rated Outstanding for Responsive, because care was highly individualised and people were supported to remain independent and involved in activities of their choice.
Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicine procedures, suitable training and good links with health professionals. They also found kind and respectful staff, personalised care plans, varied activities and systems for checking the quality of care.
Safe medicines
Medicines were stored securely, recorded clearly and given when people needed them. Staff had medicine training and competency checks.
“People received their medicines safely and when they needed them.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans reflected people's histories, preferences, routines and support needs. The home made practical changes to help people stay independent.
“The service demonstrated a strong ethos of person centred care” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Staff communicated warmly, protected privacy and dignity, and encouraged people to do what they could for themselves.
“Staff were caring, kind and respected people's privacy and dignity.” from the report
Activities and community links
People could choose from varied activities, events and services. The home also supported links with families and the local community.
“A comprehensive monthly activity programme and newsletter was compiled from suggestions and ideas that people had given.” from the report
Supportive leadership
Staff felt listened to and supported. Management used audits, meetings and surveys to monitor the service.
“The culture of the service was open, honest and caring and fully focused on people's individual needs.” from the report
Emergency plans being updated
minorIndividual emergency evacuation plans were being updated during the inspection. Families may want to check that this work was completed and that plans remain current.
“Fire risks had been thoroughly assessed and people had individual emergency evacuation plans, these were in the process of being updated during the inspection.” from the report
- 01Have all individual emergency evacuation plans now been updated?
- 02How will you make sure staffing levels continue to match people's needs if those needs change?
- 03How are people's activity choices and personal routines recorded and reviewed?
- 04How are medicine records and staff competency checks kept up to date?
- 05How do relatives receive updates about changes in their family member's health or care?
This was an unannounced inspection of the overall quality of the home, covering all five CQC questions and setting ratings for each one. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 April 2017 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 Brambles Care Home
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- December 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- April 2017GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Good
- April 2016
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 7 April 2016.
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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39 live-in carers within about an hour of Kent
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Most charge £980 to £1,260 a week. 33 can care for a couple. 12 years' experience on average.
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