CQC report explained · a residential care home
What the CQC found at The Brandles
Rated Good: inspectors found the home performing well and meeting their expectations.
- Safe?
- Good
- Risks had been reassessed after a serious incident, and staff understood the updated risk assessments. Inspectors found a shortfall in the use of PPE and infection-control guidance, although face masks were reintroduced immediately when this was raised.
- Effective?
- Good
- People's needs and preferences were assessed, and staff had suitable training and support. People were supported with eating, healthcare, healthy living and independence.
- Caring?
- Good
- People received kind and compassionate care. Staff respected people's privacy, dignity, cultural needs and choices.
- Responsive?
- Good
- Care plans were personalised and people were supported to choose activities and access the community. Inspectors recommended adding more detail about people's long-term health conditions to care plans.
- Well-led?
- Good
- Management was visible and approachable, and quality checks were in place. The provider had introduced new systems, but further improvement was needed in infection-control oversight.
What inspectors found, November 2022
Rated Good; inspectors found kind, personalised care, but identified gaps in infection control and health-condition care plans.
The home provides accommodation and personal care for up to seven people with mental health difficulties and learning disabilities. Six people were living there when the inspection took place. This was the first inspection since the service was newly registered.
The inspection was unannounced and carried out by one inspector. Inspectors spoke with people, staff, the manager and the provider. They reviewed care records, staff files, medicines records and quality checks, and observed care and the home environment.
All five areas were rated Good: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Inspectors found people were treated kindly, supported to make choices and helped to remain independent. They also found that risk assessments had improved after a serious incident, but the circumstances of a person's death were not examined in this inspection and remain subject to further CQC investigation.
Choice and independence
People were supported to make decisions about their daily lives and to remain active. Staff helped people take part in household tasks, prepare food and care for chickens.
“People were supported to have choice and control over their lives. People were encouraged to remain active and chose the activities they engaged in.” from the report
Kind and respectful care
Inspectors observed positive interactions and found that staff respected people's dignity, privacy, cultural needs and personal preferences.
“People received their care and support from kind and caring staff.” from the report
Safe medicines practice
Medicines were recorded and given as prescribed. The home had introduced electronic medicines systems and used checks to support safe administration.
“People's medicines were managed safely, and records showed that they received their medicines as prescribed for them.” from the report
Improved environment and activities
Several rooms had been refurbished, and people were supported to continue making drinks and breakfast despite the kitchen being closed without staff support. Community trips were taking place more often.
“Improvements to the condition and cleanliness of the care environment had been made since the last inspection.” from the report
PPE and infection-control guidance
needs fixingStaff were not always following national guidance on wearing PPE. Face masks were not being worn when inspectors arrived, and the infection-control policy was not fully aligned with national guidance.
“We were not assured that the provider was using personal protective equipment (PPE) effectively and safely.” from the report
Health conditions in care plans
needs fixingCare plans were person-centred, but did not contain enough detail about people's long-term health conditions to help staff monitor them closely. CQC made a recommendation for the provider to review current guidance.
“people's long-term health conditions needed further detail in the care plans to ensure staff could closely monitor.” from the report
- 01What changes have you made to ensure staff follow the current PPE and infection-control guidance every day?
- 02How are each person's long-term health conditions recorded, monitored and reviewed in their care plan?
- 03How is the change from the previous registered manager to the new manager being managed?
- 04What improvements have been made to the new medicines and care-record systems since the inspection?
- 05How do people and their families raise concerns, and how are actions from meetings and quality checks followed up?
This was an unannounced first inspection covering all five CQC key questions, including risks linked to a serious incident, infection prevention and control, and the principles of right support, right care and right culture; it did not examine the circumstances of the person's death. This explanation was written from the published report of 24 November 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, January 2022
Inspected but not rated; inspectors found good infection control, but the COVID-19 policy needed updating.
This was an announced, targeted inspection on 7 January 2022. Inspectors looked at infection prevention and control during a COVID-19 outbreak, and asked about staffing pressures.
The home was clean and hygienic. Staff used protective equipment safely, people and staff had regular COVID-19 testing, and all had received vaccinations. Visits continued through assessed arrangements, Skype calls and window visits.
Inspectors found that the home was following the latest public health guidance. However, its infection prevention and control policy needed to be reviewed so it matched that guidance. The service was inspected but not rated, so this report does not give an overall quality rating.
Clean and hygienic home
Inspectors found good hygiene arrangements and regular checks of infection prevention practices.
“The home was clean and hygienic. The staff followed national and local guidance during the outbreak they were dealing with at the time of our inspection.” from the report
Visits continued
Risks linked to visitors were assessed, while visits continued through different arrangements.
“Risks in relation to visitors had been assessed and action taken to ensure visits were still in place at the service and through skype calls as well as window visits.” from the report
Protective equipment and testing
Staff had access to protective equipment and training. People living in the home and staff had regular COVID-19 testing.
“Staff had access to supplies of PPE and had received training to ensure they used this correctly.” from the report
Use of outside advice
The service sought advice from public health and regulatory organisations and was open to the guidance offered.
“The registered manager sought support and advice from external agencies including the local health protection team and CQC and was open to all advice and guidance offered.” from the report
Policy needed updating
needs fixingThe infection prevention and control policy did not yet match the latest public health guidance. The manager said it would be reviewed soon.
“The provider's infection prevention and control policy needed to be reviewed, so this was in line with the latest guidance from Public Health England for care homes.” from the report
- 01Has the infection prevention and control policy now been updated to match the latest public health guidance?
- 02How are COVID-19 testing and vaccination records kept up to date for staff and people living in the home?
- 03How are visits arranged if there is an infection outbreak or a visitor cannot come into the home?
- 04What staffing cover is available if there are staff shortages?
- 05What are the current ratings for effective, caring, responsive and well-led care, since this inspection did not assess them?
This was an announced targeted inspection of infection prevention and control and staffing pressures; the other areas of care were not assessed and the service was inspected but not rated. This explanation was written from the published report of 27 January 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.
Every inspection of The Brandles
4 rated inspections over 7 years: the service has held its Good rating throughout.
- November 2022Goodcurrent ratingSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- January 2022Inspected but not ratedSafe: Inspected but not rated
- February 2020Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2017Goodstayed GoodSafe: GoodEffective: GoodCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- August 2015GoodSafe: GoodEffective: Requires improvementCaring: GoodResponsive: GoodWell-led: Good
- December 2021
Registered with the Care Quality Commission on 17 December 2021.
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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