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Inspection on 18/02/10 for Whitebriars Care Home

Also see our care home review for Whitebriars Care Home for more information

This is the latest available inspection report for this service, carried out on 18th 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: Whitebriars Care Home The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: two star good service 1 8 0 2 2 0 0 9 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: June Davies Date of this annual service review: 1 4 0 1 2 0 1 0 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 7 Information about the service Address of service: 20 Bedford Avenue Bexhill on Sea East Sussex TN40 1NG 01424215335 01424215335 info@whitebriars.co.uk Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:   Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : dementia old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: Coast Care Homes Ltd Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 26 0 0 26 1. The registered person may provide the following category/ies of service only: Care home only - (PC) to service users of the following gender: Either whose primary care needs on admission to the home are within the following categories: Old age not falling within any other category (OP) Dementia (DE) 2. The maximum number of service users to be accommodated is: 26 Have there been any changes in the ownership, management or the Yes 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 Whitebriars is a care home providing personal care and accommodation for up to 19 older people. The home is located a short walk from Bexhill sea front and town centre with its shops, churches and other community services. There is good access to bus and rail routes. The house is a detached property set in its own grounds. Accommodation is provided on three floors, stair lifts are fitted to assist residents to access first and second floor accommodation, however those with bedrooms on these Annual Service Review Page 2 of 7 None 1 8 0 2 2 0 0 9 floors are still required to manage some stairs that are not covered by the stair lifts. The home has a large lounge and dining room area, whilst the outside of the building has a pleasant paved garden and fishpond. Information regarding the fees charged in the home can be obtained by application to the registered manager Residents will be expected to pay for their Hairdressing, Chiropody services, Newspapers and Magazines, Private Telephone and toiletries. Annual Service Review Page 3 of 7 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. 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. Information we have about how the service has managed complaints. What the service has told us about things that have happened in the service, these are called notifications and are a legal requirement. The previous Key inspection and the results of any other visits that we have made to the service in the last 12 months. Relevant information from other organisations. What other people have told us about the service. What has this told us about the service? The home returned the annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) when we asked for it. The AQAA provided us with clear and comprehensive information. It provided us with details of what the home does well, what they could do better and plans for improvement within the next twelve months. At the last key inspection in February 2009, the statement of purpose and service user guide provided prospective residents with up to date detailed information about Whitebriars Care Home. During 2009 a new brochure has been printed and shows details of both homes in the group. This gives prospective residents the information they need to make an informed choice about moving into the home. Prospective residents are also encouraged to visit the home so they may see the environment, meet with residents and staff. A full pre-admission assessment is carried out to ensure that the staff have the skills and the environment can meet the health, personal and social care needs of the prospective resident. A prospective resident can also come to stay in the home on a temporary basis for a period of up to four weeks assessment to ensure both parties are agreeable to making a more permanent arrangement. Care plans contain sufficient information to enable staff to treat residents as individuals. All care plans are based on pre-admission assessments and are reviewed regularly, with any changes in care needs being recorded. Residents have access to all health care professionals to ensure that their health needs are met. In the next twelve months the registered manager will ensure that all care plans reflect the person centred approach where the wishes, choices, preferences and likes and dislikes of the residents are recorded in their individual care plan and acted upon by the staff. At the last key inspection in February 2009 the inspector found that the management of Annual Service Review Page 4 of 7 medication in the home was good. There was good evidence that the receipt, administration and return of unused medication was properly managed. Policies and procedures are in place to ensure the medication is properly managed and all staff administering medication have received the appropriate training. As a good practise is was suggested at this key inspection that a proper lockable medication trolley should be purchased by the home to ensure that medication is kept safely at all times. At all times staff respect the need for residents to remain as independent as possible while observing their rights to privacy and dignity. An activities co-ordinator is employed on a full-time basis and is responsible for organising both internal and community activities for the residents. An external therapeutic activities person visits the home weekly as well as a local hairdresser. Residents are able to choose what activities they participate in and for those residents who wish to stay in their bedrooms they are given one to one time by the activities coordinator and staff. At all times residents are able to make choices in regard to the lifestyle they want, and staff are expected to honour the residents wishes. Residents are encouraged to maintain links with the local community by attending tea afternoons in the local church hall, going shopping at the local shops, going to the theatre, and visiting places of local interests. The home hopes to expand the outings offered to resident in the next twelve months by using a minibus to visit other places of interest to the residents. There are no visiting restrictions in the home and relatives and friends are welcome at all reasonable times. Residents are given choices at mealtimes, and their likes and dislikes are taken into consideration. All meals are nutritious and fresh food is used as much as possible. Specialised diets are catered for as and when required. Residents are able to choose if they eat their meals in their own bedrooms or use the dining room. The home as a detailed and up to date complaints policy and procedure. Both the registered manager and staff spend time talking to residents and are pro-active in addressing any concerns that residents may have rather than having a formal complaint made. Since the last inspection one formal complaint has been made and this was investigated within the time limit set out in the complaints policy and procedure. All staff have received Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults training. The home has reviewed policies and procedures for Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and whistle blowing. All prospective new staff are appropriately vetted prior to being employed to work in the home this helps to protect residents from abuse. Whitebriars is a comfortable, well maintained, clean home that provides a homely environment for its residents. While furniture is provided for new residents, they can choose to bring items of their own furniture into the home with them. New residents are encouraged to surround there bedrooms with personal items so they are able to express their personality and interests. There are communal lounges both on the ground and first floor. The home has an ongoing maintenance and redecoration programme. In the past year and new passenger lift has been provided, a new fire escape from the first floor has been installed, and area outside the home has been tarmacked to provider extra parking spaces, there is provision of outside space for mobility scooters and where batteries can be recharged. Several rooms have been redecorated. The garden area of the home is safe for residents to use. In the next Annual Service Review Page 5 of 7 twelve months it is planned to replant the garden area with colourful plants, carpets are to be steam cleaned throughout the house, and decoration of rooms will take place. A requirement was made at the last key inspection in February 2009 that infection control procedures ensure that liquid soap and paper hand towels are available in all communal toilets, bathrooms and the laundry, this requirement has been met. At the present time staff are employed in sufficient numbers to meet the assessed needs of the residents. The registered manager keeps staffing levels under review to ensure the needs of the residents are met. Sufficient ancillary staff are employed by the home for cooking, cleaning and maintenance. Sixty one percent of care staff have achieved NVQ level two or above. Recruitment procedures in the home are robust ensuring prospective staff are properly vetted prior to be employed, this includes CRB checks, POVA checks, two written references and at least two forms of identification. All new staff are required to undertake both initial induction into the home and then complete a Skills for Care induction within the first six weeks of their employment. The majority of staff working in the home has undertaken mandatory training or updated their mandatory training. Staff are also encouraged to take part in work related training to help ensure that the skill mix of staff can meed the residents assessed care needs. The registered manager has achieved her NVQ level 4 and is in the process of starting her Management Skills Award after having been let down by a training company she has now signed up with another company to gain this award. A requirement was made at the last key inspection that the manager gains the qualifications necessary to manage the home and this requirement has now been met. She has an open management style where both resident and staff can access her anytime when she is on duty. The quality assurance system in the home is still being developed, but has improved since the last inspection with some new schedules being produced, that monitor the systems used in the home. All staff received regular formal supervision and annual appraisal. This helps the registered manager and staff identify, areas that could improve and where more training is required. Health and Safety in the home is a priority to ensure that residents live and staff work in a safe environment. All equipment used in the home has up to date maintenance certificates, and regular recorded checks are carried out for emergency lighting, hot water delivery and fire call points. Regular fire drills are carried out. There are up to date Fire, Health and Safety risk assessments for both the internal and external environment. An accident book is kept and staff ensure that it is completed when a resident falls or has an accident. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? There will be no change to the Inspection plan and we will do a Key Inspection by the 17th February 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. Annual Service Review Page 6 of 7 Reader Information Document Purpose: Author: Audience: Further copies from: Annual service review CQC General Public 0870 240 7535 (national contact centre) Our duty to regulate social care services is set out in the Care Standards Act 2000. The content of which can be found on our website. 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 copy of the findings 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. 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