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Inspection on 11/02/10 for Bracken Tor House

Also see our care home review for Bracken Tor House for more information

This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 11th February 2010.

it is an annual review prepared by CQC after examining previous reports and information from the provider. At the time of this report, CQC judged the service to be Good.

The inspector made no statutory requirements on the home as a result of this inspection and there were no outstanding actions from the previous inspection report.

What follows are excerpts from this inspection report. For more information read the full report on the next tab.

Annual service review Name of Service: Bracken Tor House The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: two star good service A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home, agency or scheme is meeting the needs of the people who use it. We give a quality rating following a full review of the service. We call this review a ‘key’ inspection We do an annual service review when there has been no key inspection of the service in the last 12 months. It does not involve a visit to the service but is a summary of new information given to us, or collected by us, since the last key inspection or annual service review.   Has this annual service review changed our opinion of the service?   No You should read the last key inspection report for this service to get a full picture of how well outcomes for the people using the service are being met. The date by which we will do a key inspection: Name of inspector: Anita Sutcliffe Date of this annual service review: 0 7 0 1 2 0 1 0 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 6 Information about the service Address of service: 11 Brandize Park Okehampton Devon EX20 1EQ 0183755209 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : learning disability Conditions of registration: Care Worldwide (Devon) Ltd Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 7 0 The maximum number of service users who can be accommodated is 7. The registered person may provide the following category of service only: Care home only - Code PC to service users of either gender whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following category: Learning disability (Code LD) Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the No service’s registration details in the last 12 months? If yes, what have they been: Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service Bracken Tor is a care home providing personal care and accommodation for younger adults aged 18 - 65, with learning disabilities. It was newly registered in 2007 when a change of ownership occurred. The current owners are Care Worldwide (Devon) Ltd. A full time manager is employed for day to day management of the home. That manager is also registered to run a domiciliary care agency called Reach Out. The home, consisting of a semi-detached, four-storey house, is located in a residential street of Okehampton, close to local shops, facilities and amenities. It has seven single bedrooms, one on the lower ground floor, three on the 1st floor and three on the 2nd floor. The bedroom on the lower ground floor has an en suite toilet and en suite Annual Service Review Page 2 of 6 shower. In addition to the en suite facilities, there are two bathrooms and four toilets. On the ground floor there are separate lounge and dining rooms. The home has a small garden to the front and rear of the property, which is accessible to people who use the service. The fees charged at the time of the last key inspection were between £750 and £1,081 a week. An additional charge is made for hairdressing and personal items such as toiletries. Written information about the home, called the Statement of Purpose and Service Users Guide, are available on request. Annual Service Review Page 3 of 6 Service update since the last key inspection or annual service review: What did we do for this annual service review? We looked at all the information that we have received, or asked for, since the last key inspection or annual service review. This included: The annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self-assessment that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the service. It also gave us some numerical information about the service. One survey was returned to us by a person who uses the service and one from a health care professional with knowledge of the home. What the service has told us about things that have happened, these are called notifications and are a legal requirement. The previous key inspection (January 2008) and and Annual Service Review (December 2009) reports. Relevant information from other organisations. Information from an application to register a domiciliary care agency, called Reach Out, which was approved under the same management as Bracken Tor. There have been no complaints made about the service and no alerts to Devon County local safeguarding team. What has this told us about the service? The home sent us their annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) when we asked for it. It was clear and gave us all the information we asked for. We looked at the information in the AQAA and our judgement is that the home is still providing a good service and that they know what further improvements they need to make. For example, they say: We have managed to arrange some more activities in the evening with the service users, but it still needs to be more flexible. We will continue to develop and update person centred plans with the service users, this will ensure there is continuality in the support they are receiving. The person who completed the survey told us: I like living here. I get the chance to go out every day. They added that they were asked if they wanted to move into the home and did get enough information to decide if it was the right place for them; that they always make decisions about what they do each day, evening and weekends; staff always treat them well and the carers listen and act on what they say and the home is always clean and fresh. They said know who to speak to if they are not happy and how to make a complaint. The home reports that it has received no complaints and the Commission has received no complaints about the home. Annual Service Review Page 4 of 6 There are currently six men living at Bracken Tor supported by two male and four female staff. The home reports that three support carers have achieved National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) in care to level 2 or above, which is an indicator of competence. A health care professional with knowledge of the home told us: Bracken Tor do all things related to residents care, dignity and respect very well. The service offered is excellent. They are always striving to improve the life of their residents and offer very individual service to all of them. They are never reluctant to ask for help. Care plans appear detailed and are very person centred. The home reports: There is a very effective protection of vulnerable adults policy which all staff have to read and sign. A copy of the No Secrets policy is also available in house. The staff have up to date training. The Commission believe people at the home are safe from abuse. The home continues to let us know about things that have happened since our last key inspection and they have shown that they have managed issues well. They work well with us and have shown us that their service continues to provide good outcomes for the people who use it. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? We are not going to change our inspection plan, and will do a key inspection by 24th January 2011. However we can inspect the service at any time if we have concerns about the quality of the service or the safety of the people using the service. 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