CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at Brook Care Home
Rated Requires improvement: inspectors found the home was not performing as well as it should and told it what to change.
What inspectors found, July 2019
Brook Care Home was rated Good in all areas; inspectors found safe, kind and personalised care.
This was an unannounced planned inspection on 24 June 2019. One inspector spoke with seven people, two relatives, staff and visiting health professionals. They also observed care and checked care files, medicine records and records about how the home was run.
The inspectors found that people were safe, treated kindly and supported by trained staff. Care plans were personalised and regularly reviewed. People were supported with food, healthcare, activities, relationships and end-of-life choices.
The home had systems to manage medicines, infection risks, accidents, complaints and the quality of care. The home was rated Good for Safe, Effective, Caring, Responsive and Well-led. Each rating had remained Good since the previous inspection.
Kind and respectful staff
People and relatives spoke positively about staff. Inspectors found that staff understood people's preferences and promoted dignity and independence.
“Staff cared for people in an empathetic and kind manner.” from the report
Personalised care
Care plans included people's backgrounds, interests, likes, dislikes and preferred ways of receiving care. People and relatives were involved in reviews.
“Care plans were person centred and included information on people's background, hobbies and interests, likes and dislikes and preferences on how they wished to receive their care and support.” from the report
Safe staffing and medicines
People received care from a consistent staff team. Staff recruitment checks, training and medicine processes were in place.
“People received care from a consistent staff team who had the skills to deliver high quality care.” from the report
Activities and community links
People were supported to follow their interests, go out, maintain family relationships and take part in activities.
“People were supported to maintain relationships with their families.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01How would you assess and review my relative's care needs before they move in?
- 02How would you support my relative to make choices and remain as independent as possible?
- 03How are medicines ordered, stored, given and checked?
- 04What activities and support to go out or maintain family relationships would be available for my relative?
- 05How would you support my relative's communication needs, including glasses, hearing aids or technology?
This was an unannounced planned inspection covering all five CQC questions, and all five ratings remained Good from the previous inspection. This explanation was written from the published report of 5 July 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, March 2017
Brook Care Home was rated Good; inspectors found safe, kind and well-organised care across all five areas.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on 6 March 2017. Inspectors spoke with seven people, a relative, the manager and two care staff. They observed care and reviewed care files, staff recruitment records, support records, audits and policies.
The home provided accommodation and personal care for up to 20 people, including some people living with dementia. Fourteen people were living there at the inspection. Inspectors found enough staff, safe medicines arrangements, appropriate staff checks and care that supported people's health, nutrition, choices and independence.
People were described as happy and well cared for. Staff knew people's preferences and supported activities, community links and family contact. The manager was well regarded, listened to people's views and used checks and audits to monitor the service.
The overall rating was Good, and each of the five areas was rated Good. This was the same rating as at the previous inspection.
Enough staff
Inspectors saw staff available to support people, and the manager reviewed staffing numbers when needed. The home said it did not need agency staff.
“From our observations we saw there were always staff available to support people.” from the report
Safe medicines
Only trained and competent staff administered medicines. Staff had completed refresher training and competency checks in the previous three months.
“Medicines were managed and administered safely.” from the report
Kind, personal care
Staff took time to talk with people and understood their preferences and personal histories. People were supported to make choices and remain as independent as possible.
“Staff had positive relationships with people. They showed kindness and compassion when speaking with them.” from the report
Activities and choice
People were supported to keep up their interests, see relatives and take part in activities and outings. The home also responded to changing needs, including arranging more suitable equipment.
“Staff encouraged people to maintain their interests and links with the community.” from the report
Good oversight
The manager gathered people's views through regular meetings and used audits covering areas such as care plans, incidents and the environment.
“The manager had a number of quality monitoring systems in place to continually review and improve the quality of the service provided to people.” from the report
Inspectors raised no specific concerns in this report.
- 01What refurbishment and redecoration work has been completed since the inspection, and is any work still planned?
- 02Has the manager completed registration with the CQC?
- 03How are staffing numbers reviewed when people's needs change?
- 04How will you support my relative to keep up their interests, activities and contact with family?
- 05How often will my relative's care plan be reviewed, and how will we be involved?
This was an unannounced inspection covering all five CQC questions, and the report says the home remained Good in every area. This explanation was written from the published report of 29 March 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 Brook Care Home
3 rated inspections over 4 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- July 2019Goodcurrent ratingstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- March 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- May 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- June 2014
Report published without a new overall rating.
- May 2013
Report published without a new overall rating.
- August 2012
Report published without a new overall rating.
- January 2011
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 18 January 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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35 live-in carers within about an hour of Essex
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 £1,020 to £1,260 a week. 25 can care for a couple. 10 years' experience on average.
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