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Burn Brae Lodge, Corbridge.

Burn Brae Lodge in Corbridge is a Residential home specialising in the provision of services relating to accommodation for persons who require nursing or personal care, caring for adults over 65 yrs and dementia. The last inspection date here was 18th October 2017

Burn Brae Lodge is managed by Bridge Care Residential Limited.

Contact Details:

Ratings:

For a guide to the ratings, click here.

Safe: Good
Effective: Good
Caring: Good
Responsive: Good
Well-Led: Good
Overall: Good

Further Details:

Important Dates:

    Last Inspection 2017-10-18
    Last Published 2017-10-18

Local Authority:

    Northumberland

Link to this page:

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Inspection Reports:

Click the title bar on any of the report introductions below to read the full entry. If there is a PDF icon, click it to download the full report.

18th September 2017 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

This inspection took place on 18 and 21 September and was unannounced, which meant the provider did not know we were going to visit. We last inspected this service in May 2016. At that inspection we found the provider was in breach of Regulations 17 and 18 in connection with staffing and good governance.

Burn Brae is a residential care home situated in a rural location on the outskirts of Corbridge. The service is able to provide accommodation to 31 people, some of whom have physical and/or mental health conditions, including people who live with dementia. At the time of our inspection 29 people lived at the service.

The registered provider was also the registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

There were policies and procedures in place to support the smooth running of the service. These included a safeguarding policy which staff told us they understood along with their responsibilities towards protecting people from harm. They told us they would report any concerns without hesitation.

People told us they felt safe. Everyone we spoke with told us they had no major concerns about staffing levels, although people, relatives and staff all told us that at times it was busy.

Checks on the safety of the home were routinely carried out by maintenance staff and by external contractors when required. Personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPS) were in place and the provider had an emergency contingency plan which would be used in any crisis.

We observed medicines being administered to people during the inspection. People received their medicines in a timely manner, and were treated with dignity and respect during the process. Records were well maintained. We found on occasions the medicines trolley was left unsecure while medicines were given to people. Staff were nearby but when we spoke to the registered manager and deputy about this they recognised that this should not have happened.

Risks to individuals had been identified and assessments to reduce the hazards to people put in place. Accidents and incidents were recorded and monitored to identify trends. Where people needed additional advice or support, they were referred to external healthcare professionals as necessary.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) including the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), and to report on what we find. We found that the registered manager had an understanding of the principles and had acted in accordance with the law. MCA is a law that protects and supports people who do not have ability to make their own decisions and to ensure decisions are made in their ‘best interests’. It also ensures unlawful restrictions are not placed on people in care homes.

Staff received an induction and had received suitable training with a staff member dedicated to monitor this. Staff supervisions and appraisals had been undertaken although we have made a recommendation to the provider in connection with this. Staff told us they felt supported by the manager and senior staff. Meeting for staff had taken place but not regularly, we therefore made a recommendation regarding this.

People were supported by staff to maintain a well-balanced, healthy diet and their comments were positive about the food and refreshments they received. We have however, made a recommendation that the provider incorporates the use of various menu formats to support people during meal experiences.

We observed staff respected people, and their privacy and dignity was maintained. Staff displayed caring and kind attitudes and treated people as individuals. We saw staff offered people choi

26th May 2016 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

Burn Brae Lodge is a residential care home based in Corbridge, Northumberland which provides personal care and support for up to 31 older people. People are accommodated over two floors. The last inspection of the service was carried out in March 2014 when we checked to see if the provider was meeting the requirements of Regulation 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010, that had previously been breached. We found that they were. At the time of this inspection there were 26 people in receipt of care from the service; one of these people received care on a respite basis.

This inspection took place on the 26 and 27 May 2016 and was unannounced.

The registered provider was also the registered manager of the service and had been registered with the Commission in this role since October 2010. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.

People were complimentary about the service and staff who supported them. They described staff as "kind" and "lovely". Staff were aware of their own personal responsibility to report matters of a safeguarding nature and we saw that historic safeguarding matters had been handled appropriately. Risks that people had been exposed to in their daily lives had been assessed and documented. Environmental risks within the home had been assessed and mitigated against. Accidents and incidents were monitored and measures put in place to prevent repeat events.

Recruitment procedures were robust and medicines were managed safely and appropriately in line with best practice guidance. Staffing levels were sufficient on the days that we visited the home to meet people's needs. Whilst we did not identify any issues with staff practice, skills or the care we saw being delivered, staff training records showed staff had not been supported to develop and maintain their skills through regular role-specific training. There was a basic induction programme in place but this was limited and did not incorporate the Care Certificate brought into force in April 2015, in line with best practice guidance. Supervisions took place regularly but there was no appraisal system in place. The provider told us annual appraisals of staff performance were due to be introduced shortly.

CQC monitors the application of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and deprivation of liberty safeguards. The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) was appropriately applied and applications to deprive people of their liberty lawfully had been made to prevent them from coming to any harm where they lacked capacity. The service understood their legal responsibility under this act and although they informally assessed people’s capacity when their care commenced and on an on-going basis when necessary, this was not documented. Decisions that needed to be made in people’s best interests had been undertaken but records about such decision making were not maintained.

The staff approach was kind and caring and people said they enjoyed good relationships with staff. People were involved in the service and had signed their care plans to evidence they were involved in the care planning process. People received information about the service and explanations about the care that was being delivered to them. Advocacy services could be made available to those people who needed them. Most people living at the home at the time of our inspection had relatives who were actively involved in their care and who supported them in decision making.

Activities were offered regularly but some people expressed a desire for more stimulation. People were afforded the opportunity to make their own choices in their lives, although choices around food options were l

13th March 2014 - During an inspection to make sure that the improvements required had been made pdf icon

At a previous inspection we identified shortfalls in the management of infection risks within the home. We carried out this inspection to check whether action had been taken to address these concerns. We found that improvements had been made to ensure that people who lived at the home, and the staff who cared for them, were protected against the risk of catching an infection.

People and their relatives told us they were happy with cleanliness levels within the home. One person said, "The cleanliness is pretty good. They change the beds and things go to the laundry and come back." One relative told us, "It is always very clean and tidy. It is very homely here. I have never found it unhygienic or dirty in any way." We found that the home was clean, tidy and well maintained, and significant improvements had been made to infection control procedures.

13th September 2013 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

People told us they were happy with the care and support they received. One person said, "It's reasonable here. They look after me reasonably well." Another person said, "Oh I like it here." One person's relative told us, "It's very good as far as I am concerned."

People told us their consent was gained before care was delivered and we found that staff acted in accordance with their wishes. Where people did not have the ability to consent themselves we found the provider acted in line with legal requirements.

We found that people's care and support needs were appropriately assessed and their care was planned. They received care safely, and to an appropriate standard. Where people required input into their care from external healthcare professionals, this had been arranged.

We found the provider had a structured staff selection and recruitment policy in place which aimed to ensure staff were suitably skilled, experienced and qualified to deliver care safely.

People told us they were asked if they were happy with the service they received, and they confirmed that they were. We found the provider had effective systems in place to measure the quality of the service that people received.

However, although people who received care and support told us they were happy, and we saw they were well supported, we found that failures to maintain and manage cleanliness and infection control, may put people's safety at risk.

2nd August 2012 - During a routine inspection pdf icon

During our unannounced visit on 2 August 2012, we talked to four people who used the service.

One person told us that the “staff are smashing” and “doing a good job”. Another person said they had “great girls looking after us” and “we don’t go short of anything.” We also talked to two family members visiting people living in the home. One relative told us that the Burn Brae Lodge “was like someone’s home, not an institution” and that it was “the best place X had been in”. Another told us that it was “the ideal place for Y” and that they “couldn’t sing the praises [of Burn Brae Lodge] highly enough.” Both told us that their relatives’ levels of agitation had decreased since coming to Burn Brae from other homes. They attributed this to the consistency of care provided by staff. We saw many cards and letters to the staff at Burn Brae thanking them for their care and support including one from April 2012 which said “I cannot thank you enough for the dedicated care that was show by everyone to W. during their time with you.”

We also spoke to a district nurse who said that the home was “friendly and homely” and that staff cared deeply about people living there. Both relatives and the district nurse believed that the low staff turnover at Burn Brae was an indicator of the provider’s commitment to supporting its staff to provide a high standard of care.

During our unannounced visit on 2 August 2012, we talked to four people who used the service.

One person told us that the “staff are smashing” and “doing a good job”. Another person said they had “great girls looking after us” and “we don’t go short of anything.” We also talked to two family members visiting people living in the home. One relative told us that the Burn Brae Lodge “was like someone’s home, not an institution” and that it was “the best place X had been in”. Another told us that it was “the ideal place for Y” and that they “couldn’t sing the praises [of Burn Brae Lodge] highly enough.” Both told us that their relatives’ levels of agitation had decreased since coming to Burn Brae from other homes. They attributed this to the consistency of care provided by staff. We saw many cards and letters to the staff at Burn Brae thanking them for their care and support including one from April 2012 which said “I cannot thank you enough for the dedicated care that was show by everyone to W. during their time with you.”

We also spoke to a district nurse who said that the home was “friendly and homely” and that staff cared deeply about people living there. Both relatives and the district nurse believed that the low staff turnover at Burn Brae was an indicator of the provider’s commitment to supporting its staff to provide a high standard of care.

 

 

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