What the CQC found at Brampton Lodge

People told inspectors they felt safe, and staff knew their safeguarding responsibilities.

“People told us they felt safe.” from the report

Inspectors were assured that the home had suitable arrangements for preventing and managing infections.

“We were assured that the provider was responding effectively to risks and signs of infection.” from the report

The home worked with the local GP and a therapy team, and made referrals to health professionals when needed.

“People had access to healthcare services, the provider worked with the local GP who visited the home weekly.” from the report

The report says the home completed checks with previous employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

“Safe recruitment practices were being followed including checks with previous employers and the disclosure and barring service (DBS).” from the report

Medicine records had gaps, some time-critical medicines were late, and one person received covert medicine without the required approvals at first. Inspectors said this created a risk that people were not receiving medicines as prescribed.

“Medicines were not always administered safely. We identified gaps in people's medicine administration records (MARs).” from the report

People were sometimes left without their assessed level of support. Call bells were not always within reach or answered effectively, and some people were not repositioned as assessed.

“The deployment of staff within the home was not always appropriate, we observed people being left for long periods of time without their assessed level of support.” from the report

Some people were not encouraged to eat, meals became cold, fluid intake was below recommended levels and choices for modified diets were limited.

“One person was left with a meal in front of them without support until the meal went cold.” from the report

The Mental Capacity Act process was not always followed. Restrictions were used for one person without legal authority, and covert medicine was given without the required process at first.

“The MCA process was not always being followed and consent was not always sought” from the report

Some care plans were task based and people were not always involved in planning their care. Some people were woken early for personal care even when they wanted to sleep.

“People were not actively involved in their care planning and were not always offered a choice of when they wanted support.” from the report

The home's audits and monitoring systems did not identify all the problems inspectors found. Staffing gaps, agency use and limited supervision also placed pressure on permanent staff.

“The provider did not always operate effective systems and processes to make sure they assess and monitor the service.” from the report