CQC report explained · a nursing home
What the CQC found at Briardene Care Home
Rated Outstanding: inspectors found the home performing exceptionally well.
- Safe?
- Good
- Inspectors were assured that infection risks were being managed through visitor checks, cleaning, protective equipment, testing, social distancing and an up-to-date infection control policy. They also considered COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
- Effective?
- Outstanding
- Does the care work? Training, consent, food and drink, working with GPs and nurses.
- Caring?
- Outstanding
- Are people treated with kindness and dignity?
- Responsive?
- Outstanding
- Is care built around the person? Care plans, activities, complaints.
- Well-led?
- Outstanding
- Is the home run well? The manager, the culture, how problems get found and fixed.
What inspectors found, February 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found strong infection controls, but visiting rules were temporarily stricter than government guidance.
This was an unannounced targeted inspection on 17 January 2022. It followed concerns about visiting arrangements and also looked at infection control and COVID-19-related staffing pressures.
Inspectors were assured that the home was managing infection risks. Visitors were checked, the home was clean, staff used protective equipment correctly, and infection control training and testing were in place.
At the time of the visit, the visiting policy was stricter than government guidance. It limited visitor numbers and stopped visits from friends and relatives who were not fully vaccinated. The home changed this policy by the time the report was written.
The home was inspected but not rated. This means the inspection did not produce a Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate rating.
Visitor checks
The home checked visitors' temperatures, COVID-19 test results and vaccination status.
“Checks were made on visitors to the service including temperature, COVID-19 test results and vaccination status.” from the report
Clean environment
The home was clean and gave extra attention to frequently touched surfaces.
“The environment was clean and additional cleaning was taking place for surfaces that were touched frequently, such as handrails.” from the report
Protective equipment
Staff used protective equipment correctly, with clear instructions and infection control training.
“Staff wore PPE correctly throughout the home.” from the report
Infection control leadership
An infection prevention and control lead shared good practice with other staff.
“The home had an infection prevention and control lead who was responsible for sharing best practice with other staff.” from the report
Visiting rules
needs fixingThe visiting policy at the time of inspection was stricter than government guidance. It restricted visitor numbers and did not allow unvaccinated friends and relatives to visit, although the policy had changed by the time the report was written.
“The provider's visiting policy was not in line with government guidance at the time of our inspection.” from the report
- 01What is the home's current visiting policy, and has it changed since the inspection?
- 02How does the home manage COVID-19-related staffing pressures, and what effect has this had on staffing?
- 03How are visitors currently checked for infection risks?
- 04How often are frequently touched surfaces cleaned?
- 05How does the home make sure staff use protective equipment correctly?
This was a targeted inspection of infection prevention and control, visiting arrangements and COVID-19-related staffing pressures; it was not a full inspection and the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 22 February 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, March 2019
Briardene Care Home was rated Outstanding; inspectors found exceptionally caring, responsive and well-led care, with safety rated Good.
The inspection took place on 10 and 14 January 2019. The first day was unannounced. One inspector spoke with people, relatives, staff and health professionals, observed care and reviewed care records, medicines records, staff files and management records.
Inspectors found that care was highly personalised. Staff knew people very well and supported their choices, independence, health and wellbeing. There were enough staff for both care and meaningful one-to-one time. Activities and therapy were varied and tailored to people's interests.
The home was rated Outstanding overall. Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led were all rated Outstanding. Safe was rated Good, meaning inspectors found the service safe, but this area did not reach the higher Outstanding rating.
The home had improved since the previous inspection in December 2015, when it was rated Good overall. The ratings for Effective, Responsive and Well-led improved from Good to Outstanding. Caring remained Outstanding and Safe remained Good.
Personalised care
Care plans were detailed and reflected people's life histories, preferences and changing needs. Staff knew how each person preferred to be supported.
“Care plans were written in an extremely sensitive and thoughtful way that reflected people's life history, their likes and dislikes in great detail” from the report
Kind and respectful staff
Inspectors saw staff adapting their communication to each person and responding to signs of distress. People were treated with patience, compassion and respect.
“We observed staff being extremely kind and engaging with people in a very compassionate way that was meaningful to them.” from the report
Strong health support
The home used therapists and other professionals to support health and wellbeing. Inspectors described positive outcomes from this proactive approach.
“The service was very forward thinking and proactive in their approach to people's health and wellbeing.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01Is the current staffing level still enough to provide both personal care and one-to-one time?
- 02Are the therapy, music and activities staff described in the report still available, and how would you plan activities for my relative?
- 03How do you currently monitor falls, accidents and incidents, and what changes have resulted from those reviews?
- 04How are care plans updated when a person's needs, preferences or behaviour changes?
- 05What proportion of staff are currently up to date with essential training?
This was a comprehensive inspection covering all five CQC questions, with care, premises, records, medicines, staffing and management reviewed. This explanation was written from the published report of 6 March 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 Briardene Care Home
2 rated inspections over 3 years: the service has improved, from Good to Outstanding.
- February 2022Inspected but not ratedcurrent ratingSafe: Inspected but not rated
- March 2019Outstandingup from GoodSafe: GoodEffective: OutstandingCaring: OutstandingResponsive: OutstandingWell-led: Outstanding
- August 2016GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: OutstandingResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- February 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 15 February 2011.
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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45 live-in carers within about an hour of Stockton-on-Tees
These are self-employed carers on PrimeCarers, the introductory agency that runs this directory. Each has a profile with their own rates and reviews from families, and you choose who to talk to.
Most charge £980 to £1,190 a week. 40 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
“I found Alison to be kind , caring helpful concencious... Alison has a heart of gold”
“Petty introduced herself to Mum every time she was caring for her and responded very quickly to Mum if she was distressed in the night.”
Every carer has had an enhanced DBS check in the last 18 months, ID and right-to-work checks and an online interview. Their skills and training are for you to check with them. Carers set their own rates, and who is free changes week to week.