About the service Bernhard Baron Cottage Homes is a residential care home providing accommodation and support for up to 60 older people. At the time of the inspection there were 55 people living at the home. People were living with a range of needs associated with the frailties of old age.
The home includes 24 self-contained cottages and a main building with 36 bedrooms. The service is a registered charity and managed by a board of appointed trustees.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People received an exceptionally personalised service that met their specific needs, preferences and wishes. The service was led by people who lived at the home. They had forums which they led to consistently improve their day to day lives and other people’s lives. They developed, promoted and engaged in a wide range of activities that were meaningful to them and that they enjoyed. The activities ensured people continued to live useful and productive lives when they moved into the home. They also ensured people were able to develop new friendships, interests and hobbies.
Staff were kind and caring. They embraced the home’s Quaker ethos of treating everyone as an individual and fully respecting their choices and wishes. People praised staff for their kindness and support.
Staff understood the risks associated with the people they supported. Risk assessments provided further guidance for staff about individual and environmental risks. People were supported to receive their medicines when they needed them.
People were protected from the risks of harm, abuse or discrimination because staff knew what actions they should take if they identified concerns. There were enough staff, who had been safely recruited, working to provide the support people needed, at times of their choice.
Staff received training and supervision to help them meet the needs of people living at the home. Staff told us they were well supported by the registered manager and their colleagues.
People's health and well-being needs were met. They were supported to receive healthcare services when they needed them. People were supported to eat a wide range of healthy, freshly cooked meals, drinks and snacks each day.
The management team were well thought of. They were proactive in developing and improving the service. They ensured that changes and improvements were for the benefit of people and staff.
People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
The last rating for this service was good (published 20 December 2016).
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on the previous rating.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.