Brook House Residential Care Home

Updated 14 November 2017

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 as part of our regulatory functions. This inspection checked whether the provider is meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Health and Social Care Act 2008, to look at the overall quality of the service, and to provide a rating for the service under the Care Act 2014.

This inspection took place on 12 October 2017 and was announced. The provider was given 48 hours’ notice because the location is a small care home for only four people. We also needed to ensure the provider was available to support the inspection. This is because the provider delivers care and support to people in the service and we needed to ensure staffing levels were not affected.

The inspection team consisted of two inspectors. Before our inspection we reviewed all the information we held about the service. The provider had submitted a Provider Information Return (PIR). This is a document wherein the provider is required to give some key information about the service, what the service does well, the challenges it faces and any improvements they plan to make.

We spoke with two people in the service, one relative, the registered manager, the deputy manager and two members of staff. During the inspection we reviewed two people’s care information, two staff records, and other records relating to the management of the service. We also observed interactions throughout the inspection.

Following the inspection, we contacted a number of external health and social care professionals to obtain their views about the service.

Updated 14 November 2017

Brook House provides accommodation and personal care for up to four adults who have mental health needs, learning disabilities or an acquired brain injury.

At the last inspection the service was rated as Good. At this inspection, we found the service remained Good.

Why the service is rated Good:

The service continued to provider a good level of care and support to people living there. Arrangements were in place to protect people who used the service from the risks of abuse and avoidable harm. There were enough staff and they were clear about their responsibilities to report abuse and where to report outside of the organisation. Staff had received safeguarding training.

People were cared for in a caring and respectful way. People were supported to maintain their health and the service ensured relevant health professionals were involved to ensure people remained well both physically and emotionally. People were provided with person-centred care which encouraged choice and independence. Staff understood people’s individual preferences.

People had their nutritional needs met. People who were at risk of losing weight had measures in place to manage this risk.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

Medicines were stored and administered safely.

People were encouraged to take part in the things they enjoyed doing and we saw the service ensuring these happened. We saw people were supported to engage in voluntary employment if they wanted.

People knew how to make a complaint but told us they hadn’t needed to.

The service remained well managed. The home was run by a registered manager and there was a positive, open culture that valued people, relatives and staff. The provider had effective systems in place to ensure people experienced good quality care. The staff worked well with professionals to ensure a holistic approach to meeting people’s needs.

Further information is in the detailed findings below