Inspection on 11/12/09 for Brunswick Court

This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 11th December 2009.

CQC found this care home to be providing an Good service.

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.

Other inspections for this house

Brunswick Court 29/10/07

Brunswick Court 10/11/06

Brunswick Court 17/05/06

Brunswick Court 14/11/05

Brunswick Court 18/05/05

Brunswick Court 08/11/04

Brunswick Court 01/07/04

Brunswick Court 23/02/04

Similar services:

Claremont House

Oak Ridge

Sun Court Nursing Home

Ashville House

Bramley Avenue (73)

Bilney Hall

Hill Barn

Mabbs Hall Nursing Home

Extracts from inspection reports are licensed from CQC, this page was updated on 13/03/2010.

Key inspection report Care homes for older people Name: Address: Brunswick Court 62 Stratford Road Watford Hertfordshire WD17 4JB     The quality rating for this care home is:   two star good service A quality rating is our assessment of how well a care home 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 full review a ‘key’ inspection. Lead inspector: Marian Byrne     Date: 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 9 This is a review of quality of outcomes that people experience in this care home. We believe high quality care should • • • • • Be safe Have the right outcomes, including clinical outcomes Be a good experience for the people that use it Help prevent illness, and promote healthy, independent living Be available to those who need it when they need it. The first part of the review gives the overall quality rating for the care home: • • • • 3 2 1 0 stars - excellent stars - good star - adequate star - poor There is also a bar chart that gives a quick way of seeing the quality of care that the home provides under key areas that matter to people. There is a summary of what we think this service does well, what they have improved on and, where it applies, what they need to do better. We use the national minimum standards to describe the outcomes that people should experience. National minimum standards are written by the Department of Health for each type of care service. After the summary there is more detail about our findings. The following table explains what you will see under each outcome area. Outcome area (for example Choice of home) These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. that people have said are important to them: They reflect the things This box tells you the outcomes that we will always inspect against when we do a key inspection. This box tells you any additional outcomes that we may inspect against when we do a key inspection. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: This box tells you our opinion of what we have looked at in this outcome area. We will say whether it is excellent, good, adequate or poor. Evidence: This box describes the information we used to come to our judgement. Care Homes for Older People Page 2 of 22 We review the quality of the service against outcomes from the National Minimum Standards (NMS). Those standards are written by the Department of Health for each type of care service. Copies of the National Minimum Standards – Care Homes for Older People can be found at www.dh.gov.uk or bought from The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering from the Stationery Office is also available: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop The mission of the Care Quality Commission is to make care better for people by: • Regulating health and adult social care services to ensure quality and safety standards, drive improvement and stamp out bad practice • Protecting the rights of people who use services, particularly the most vulnerable and those detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 • Providing accessible, trustworthy information on the quality of care and services so people can make better decisions about their care and so that commissioners and providers of services can improve services. • Providing independent public accountability on how commissioners and providers of services are improving the quality of care and providing value for money. Reader Information Document Purpose Author Audience Further copies from Copyright Inspection report Care Quality Commission General public 0870 240 7535 (telephone order line) Copyright © (2009) Care Quality Commission (CQC). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, free of charge, in any format or medium provided that it is not used for commercial gain. This consent is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and on proviso that it is not used in a derogatory manner or misleading context. The material should be acknowledged as CQC copyright, with the title and date of publication of the document specified. www.cqc.org.uk Internet address Care Homes for Older People Page 3 of 22 Information about the care home Name of care home: Address: Brunswick Court 62 Stratford Road Watford Hertfordshire WD17 4JB 01923218333 01923212109 Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address: Name of registered provider(s): www.bupa.com BUPA Care Homes (AKW) Ltd Name of registered manager (if applicable) Mrs Christina Hartles Type of registration: Number of places registered: care home 91 Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 old age, not falling within any other category physical disability terminally ill Additional conditions: The home may admit one (named) terminally ill service user who is under 65 years of age. This home may accommodate 15 people with physical disability between 50 and 65 years of age. This home may accommodate 16 older people who require personal care. This home may accommodate 2 Services Users between 50 and 65 years of age, for Palliative Care. Date of last inspection 2 2 1 0 2 0 0 8 0 15 0 Over 65 91 91 4 Care Homes for Older People Page 4 of 22 Brief description of the care home Brunswick Court is a purposed built residential and nursing home. It is managed by BUPA care homes Ltd. It is situated in a residential area within easy reach of Watford town centre. The Watford Junction rail station and the main bus route are within walking distance, as is motorway access via the M1, and M25. The home has ample parking at the front of the property, and in the basement area located at the rear of the building. The front entrance leads to a large reception area, which allows access to the main building by means of security locks. Security within the building is good. The administrative offices are located on the ground floor. The kitchen, laundry and staff room are in the basement. The en-suite bedrooms are large in size and are located on three floors with access via a lift. The bedrooms on the ground floor are allocated to service users requiring nursing care. Brunswick Court offers ample communal spaces on every floor, including a dinning room and two lounges. The garden is located at the side and rear of the building. The courtyard area has a landscaped woodland area with easy access for wheelchair users. Information regarding the service is available n the Statement of Purpose and Service user Guide. For these and a copy of the most recent CQC inspection report and for up to date fees contact the manager of the home. Care Homes for Older People Page 5 of 22 Summary This is an overview of what we found during the inspection. The quality rating for this care home is: Our judgement for each outcome: two star good service Choice of home Health and personal care Daily life and social activities Complaints and protection Environment Staffing Management and administration peterchart Poor Adequate Good Excellent How we did our inspection: This unannounced inspection was carried out by two inspectors. We conducted a site visit, spoke to the people who live in the home, their visitors, staff who work in the home and the manager of the home. We sent out surveys to to the residents, staff and to health professionals who visit the home. We looked at records pertaining to the care of the residents, the recruitment and the training of staff. We also looked at records that showed us the upkeep and maintenance of the home. Prior to starting the inspection we sent out an Annual Quality Assurance Assessment (AQAA) this is a legal document that the manager of the home is required to fill in. It tells us what has been happening in the home in the past year. The AQAA was very well filled out and gave us substantial detail on how the home has performed in the past year. During the inspection we did not find anything to contradict the contents of the AQAA. Throughout the year the manager has kept us informed of any incident that would Care Homes for Older People Page 6 of 22 impact on the health and welfare of the residents. Care Homes for Older People Page 7 of 22 What the care home does well: What has improved since the last inspection? What they could do better: If you want to know what action the person responsible for this care home is taking following this report, you can contact them using the details on page 4. The report of this inspection is available from our website www.cqc.org.uk. You can get printed copies from enquiries@cqc.org.uk or by telephoning our order line 0870 240 7535. Care Homes for Older People Page 8 of 22 Details of our findings Contents Choice of home (standards 1 - 6) Health and personal care (standards 7 - 11) Daily life and social activities (standards 12 - 15) Complaints and protection (standards 16 - 18) Environment (standards 19 - 26) Staffing (standards 27 - 30) Management and administration (standards 31 - 38) Outstanding statutory requirements Requirements and recommendations from this inspection Care Homes for Older People Page 9 of 22 Choice of home These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People are confident that the care home can support them. This is because there is an accurate assessment of their needs that they, or people close to them, have been involved in. This tells the home all about them and the support they need. People who stay at the home only for intermediate care, have a clear assessment that includes a plan on what they hope for and want to achieve when they return home. People can decide whether the care home can meet their support and accommodation needs. This is because they, or people close to them, have been able to visit the home and have got full, clear, accurate and up to date information about the home. If they decide to stay in the home they know about their rights and responsibilities because there is an easy to understand contract or statement of terms and conditions between them and the care home that includes how much they will pay and what the home provides for the money. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. People who are admitted to this home can be sure that their needs will be identified and met. Evidence: We looked at the pre-assessment details of three residents and found that they contained good information on the person and their identified needs. All residents are reviewed after six weeks to ensure the home is meeting their needs and that the residents in happy with the home. The home provides good information for prospective residents. A Statement of Purpose and Service Users Guide is available in the reception area. Care Homes for Older People Page 10 of 22 Health and personal care These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People’s health, personal and social care needs are met. The home has a plan of care that the person, or someone close to them, has been involved in making. If they take medicine, they manage it themselves if they can. If they cannot manage their medicine, the care home supports them with it, in a safe way. People’s right to privacy is respected and the support they get from staff is given in a way that maintains their dignity. If people are approaching the end of their life, the care home will respect their choices and help them feel comfortable and secure. They, and people close to them, are reassured that their death will be handled with sensitivity, dignity and respect, and take account of their spiritual and cultural wishes. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. People who live in this home can be sure that their health care needs will be identified and met. Evidence: Care plans we looked at detailed the needs of the residents in a person centered manner. By this we mean that the care needs were drawn up with the person or their representative and details were given to staff on how the person wanted their care administered, rather than the tasks to be carried out. We cross referenced this information with the daily notes and asking staff what the persons needs and wishes were. We found that the care plans were up to date and provided staff with the information they needed to care for the resident in a person centered manner. We spoke to residents and asked them if they were happy with the care they were receiving. We were told that staff were very kind and caring and knew the persons needs and preferences. One of the care plans we looked at was of a person with communication difficulties. There were clear instructions to staff on how to communicate with the person. We observed this communication and found that it was done with gentleness, kindness Care Homes for Older People Page 11 of 22 Evidence: and care. Care plans contained good information on the health care needs of the residents these were reviewed monthly or sooner if the persons needs had changed. People who needed assistance with eating were highlighted. We observed staff relate to the residents in a manner that promoted their dignity and independence. Medication was stored, administered and recorded appropriately. This is important as it means that the residents have their prescribed medication administered at the appropriate times. Care Homes for Older People Page 12 of 22 Daily life and social activities These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: Each person is treated as an individual and the care home is responsive to his or her race, culture, religion, age, disability, gender and sexual orientation. They are part of their local community. The care home supports people to follow personal interests and activities. People are able to keep in touch with family, friends and representatives. They are as independent as they can be, lead their chosen lifestyle and have the opportunity to make the most of their abilities. People have nutritious and attractive meals and snacks, at a time and place to suit them. There are no additional outcomes. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. People who live in this home can be sure that their social and emotional needs will be met. Evidence: On the day of the inspection residents were invited to attend a quiz on the middle floor. This was well attended and residents were seen to participate and appeared to enjoy it. They were attended to by a high ratio of staff. The staff ensured that all the residents had drinks and snacks. When a person indicated that they wished to leave a member of staff took them where they wanted to go. The sitting room where the quiz took place had a very good supply of materials to ensure the residents had something to engage them. By this we mean there were newspapers, magazines, books, quizzes and objects that could offer comfort to the person. These objects were within easy reach of the residents. This is important for the intellectual and emotional stimulation of the residents. On the day of the inspection there was a constant stream of visitors to the home. We saw one visitor joined their family member for lunch. We tasted the food and found it to be fresh and tasty. Residents who needed assistance were assisted in a manner that promoted their dignity and independence. The home had purchased specialist chairs to enable the staff to sit and chat at all Care Homes for Older People Page 13 of 22 Evidence: times when assisting a resident. The home organises outings to local attractions. We were told that these were well attended. Each resident has one to one time with staff to pursue activities that are important to them. Religious services are held twice a week in the home. Care Homes for Older People Page 14 of 22 Complaints and protection These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: If people have concerns with their care, they or people close to them know how to complain. Any concern is looked into and action taken to put things right. The care home safeguards people from abuse and neglect and takes action to follow up any allegations. People’s legal rights are protected, including being able to vote in elections. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. People who live in this home can be sure that their complaints will be taken seriously and will be investigated. They can also be sure that they will be protected from all forms of abuse. Evidence: We looked at complaints received in the home since the last inspection and found that they were recorded and investigated appropriately and within BUPAs complaints policy. All complaints were taken seriously and investigated. We asked residents what they would do should they need to make a complaint. All stated that they would go to a member of staff or the manager. They all told us that they were confident that their complaint would be listened to. Staffs training on the Safeguarding of Adults was up to date and the staff members we spoken with were aware of their obligation under the Safeguarding Adults Procedure. Care Homes for Older People Page 15 of 22 Environment These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People stay in a safe and well-maintained home that is homely, clean, pleasant and hygienic. People stay in a home that has enough space and facilities for them to lead the life they choose and to meet their needs. The home makes sure they have the right specialist equipment that encourages and promotes their independence. Their room feels like their own, it is comfortable and they feel safe when they use it. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience adequate quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. People who live in this home can be sure that it is clean and fresh, however the decoration needs to be refreshed. Evidence: On the day of the unannounced inspection we found the home to be fresh, clean and odour free. The home was decorated for Christmas and was bright and cheerful. We found the communal areas of the home to have an abundance of objects, books, newspapers, games and magazines for the benefit of the residents. Some of the residents rooms were becoming shabby and in need of re-decoration. One room we looked at had grooves in the wall from a previous resident that needed to be repaired. We were told that the home is due to be fully re-furbished in early 2010. Work had started on this in the downstairs dining room. Had this not been the case we would have left a requirement ensure that this must happen. Care Homes for Older People Page 16 of 22 Staffing These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People have safe and appropriate support as there are enough competent staff on duty at all times. They have confidence in the staff at the home because checks have been done to make sure that they are suitable to care for them. Their needs are met and they are cared for by staff who get the relevant training and support from their managers. There are no additional outcomes. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. People who live in this home can be sure that the staff are recruited and trained appropriately and that they will recognise and meet their needs and wishes. Evidence: Residents told us that the staff were without exception kind and caring. They were gentle and mannerly and remembered how the person liked their tea. Staff we spoke with were knowledgeable about the needs and wishes of the residents. We observed them to be kind and caring in their interaction with the residents. We looked at records pertaining to the recruitment of staff. They all contained the required information. This included two references, evidence of identity and a Criminal Records Bureau check. We looked at staff training records and found that staff have had all the mandatory training and ongoing training to ensure the residents needs are being me. We found that there were sufficient staff on duty to meet the residents needs. Care Homes for Older People Page 17 of 22 Management and administration These are the outcomes that people staying in care homes should experience. They reflect the things that people have said are important to them: People have confidence in the care home because it is led and managed appropriately. People control their own money and choose how they spend it. If they or someone close to them cannot manage their money, it is managed by the care home in their best interests. The environment is safe for people and staff because appropriate health and safety practices are carried out. People get the right support from the care home because the manager runs it appropriately with an open approach that makes them feel valued and respected. The people staying at the home are safeguarded because it follows clear financial and accounting procedures, keeps records appropriately and ensures their staff understand the way things should be done. They get the right care because the staff are supervised and supported by their managers. This is what people staying in this care home experience: Judgement: People using this service experience good quality outcomes in this area. We have made this judgement using a range of evidence, including a visit to this service. People who live in this home can be sure that it is run in their best interests. Evidence: The home is well managed and is run in the best interests of the people who live there. The manager has made good progress in the management of the home since the last inspection. Prior to starting our inspection we spoke with the manager and asked what progress had been made in the past year. She was able to bring us up to date and told us what areas of the home that were work in progress. We found evidence that supported what she told us. This showed us that she was aware of issues in the home and had a plan in place to meet them. Care plans and recording had improved and was now of a good standard. Health care was good. The people living in the home were seen to have useful occupation. The residents told us that they are happy in the home and that the staff are kind and caring. Staff were aware of their responsibilities under the Safeguarding Adults Procedure. Staff were recruited, trained and managed appropriately. People we spoke with knew Care Homes for Older People Page 18 of 22 Evidence: the manager and told us that they would approach her should they have a problem. Complaints were responded to appropriately and we were kept informed of what was happening in the home throughout the year. The environment has become shabby, this is due to be addressed in 2010. We found the manager to be open and welcoming. We found her to be in fully aware of how the home was running. The manager puts the welfare of the residents to the forefront of running the home. No requirement were left at this inspection. Care Homes for Older People Page 19 of 22 Are there any outstanding requirements from the last inspection? Yes £ No R Outstanding statutory requirements These are requirements that were set at the previous inspection, but have still not been met. They say what the registered person had to do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Care Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Care Homes for Older People Page 20 of 22 Requirements and recommendations from this inspection: Immediate requirements: These are immediate requirements that were set on the day we visited this care home. The registered person had to meet these within 48 hours. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Statutory requirements These requirements set out what the registered person must do to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Care Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must do this within the timescales we have set. No. Standard Regulation Requirement Timescale for action Recommendations These recommendations are taken from the best practice described in the National Minimum Standards and the registered person(s) should consider them as a way of improving their service. No Refer to Standard Good Practice Recommendations Care Homes for Older People Page 21 of 22 Helpline: Telephone: 03000 616161 Email: enquiries@cqc.org.uk Web: www.cqc.org.uk We want people to be able to access this information. If you would like a summary in a different format or language please contact our helpline or go to our website. Copyright © (2009) Care Quality Commission (CQC). This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, free of charge, in any format or medium provided that it is not used for commercial gain. This consent is subject to the material being reproduced accurately and on proviso that it is not used in a derogatory manner or misleading context. The material should be acknowledged as CQC copyright, with the title and date of publication of the document specified. Care Homes for Older People Page 22 of 22 - Please note that this information is included on www.bestcarehome.co.uk under license from the regulator. 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