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Inspection on 08/07/09 for Brambles
Also see our care home review for Brambles for more information
This inspection was carried out on 8th July 2009.
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 Excellent.
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.
Extracts from inspection reports are licensed from CQC, this page was updated on 25/11/2009.
Annual service review
Name of Service: Brambles The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: three star excellent 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: Mike Murphy Date of this annual service review: 2 8 0 5 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 6 Information about the service
Address of service: Bramble Lane Wye Ashford Kent TN25 5EW 01233813217 01233813217 info@bramblescare.co.uk Telephone number: Fax number: Email address: Provider web address:
Name of registered provider(s): Conditions of registration: Category(ies) : old age, not falling within any other category Conditions of registration: Mr Arnold Hartnoll Parker,Mr Kevin Arnold Parker,Mrs Jean May Parker Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 28 The maximum number of service users to be accommodated is 28. 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). 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: The number of registered places has increased from 18 to 28. Date of last key inspection: Date of last annual service review (if applicable): Brief description of the service Brambles is a family run home just outside the centre of the village of Wye near Ashford. There are local shops, a bus stop and railway station nearby. Brambles provides comfortable, homely accommodation for a maximum of 28 older people. All rooms are single. 22 rooms have en suite facilities - either WC and hand basin or full bathroom facilities. There are also two bathrooms and adequate toilet facilities around
Annual Service Review Page 2 of 6 the home. The statement of purpose gives information about the services the home provides. A copy of this and the most recent inspection report can be obtained from the home. Current fees can be provide by the registered Manager. Hairdressing, chiropody, personal toiletries, newspapers and magazines are provided at additional cost. 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 we have received, or asked for, since the last key inspection or annual review. This included: The annual quality assurance assessment (AQAA) that was sent to us by the service. The AQAA is a self assessement that focuses on how well outcomes are being met for people using the service. It also gave us some numerical information about the service. A telephone discussion with the Registered Manager. Information about how the service has managed any 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 report of the previous key inspection carried out on 4 May 2007 (which rated the service as Excellent) and the results of any other visits that we have made to the service over 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 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. Since the last key inspection in May 2007 the home has made a number of changes which have increased the number of registered places from 18 to 28 and improved the quality of life for residents. Residents and their families have been kept informed of progress through regular meetings (of which notes have been retained), update bulletins and letters. Residents views are sought through individual and home meetings with managers and a periodic Quality Audit Questionnaire. The last such survey was carried out in February 2009. The views of relatives are obtained through occasional meetings and a questionnaire. Managers say that they have considered establishing a Residents Council but residents have informed them that they are satisfied with the present arrangements. One area where the home is keen to involve residents more is in the process of appointing new staff. Over the next year or so the home intends to have discussions with residents on the most suitable way of increasing their involvement in this process. Individual care plans were generally found to be of a good standard at the last key inspection. The exception was assessed weaknesses in reviewing and updating risk assessments after falls or other incidents. In the AQAA completed for this review, the Registered manager reports that ...risk assessments are undertaken which focus on the twelve activities of daily life.. and Details of the action taken in response to falls or illness e.g. arrangements to see GP, Physiotherapist or Community Nurses are clearly documented in the daily notes. The home has a key worker system in place and is seeking additional training through South Kent College to enhance the Key Worker role. Annual Service Review Page 4 of 6 The homes organised activities programme operates over six days a week. The manager says that the home always responds to requests and suggestions from residents. Since the last inspection the home has opened a hairdressing salon for residents, three additional communal rooms, obtained a large screen cinema style television, and developed a new and enclosed courtyard area which is accessible from two communal rooms and from some individual rooms. The expansion of the home has created 11 extra bedrooms, each with en-suite facilities, the kitchen has been enlarged and refitted, a hairdressing salon has been opened, improved arrangements for sluicing and laundering are in place, it has increased the overall amount of communal space, allowed the installation of a level access wet room and WC, and a new medication room. A new passenger lift has been installed in addition to the existing stair lift. Access around the home and to the gardens has improved. New staff have been appointed in line with the increase in the size of the home including additional housekeeping and laundry staff. The home invests in an ongoing programme of staff training, focusing in particular on Key Working, Adult Protection, NVQ training, and on the Mental capacity Act 2005 and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS). Since the last inspection the home has been awarded a four star award for its food hygiene practice from Kent County Council Environmental Health Department. Over the next twelve months the home intends to revise its brochure and develop its own website, to continue investing in staff training, maintain its programme of quality assurance and adjust services where necessary in response to feedback from residents, relatives and others, buy garden furniture for the new patio area, involve residents in the recruitment of new staff, and offer a wider selection of visiting entertainers. 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 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 4 May 2010. 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 living there. Annual Service Review Page 5 of 6 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. The material should be acknowledged as CQC copyright, with the title and date of publication of the document specified. Annual Service Review Page 6 of 6 - Please note that this information is included on www.bestcarehome.co.uk under license from the regulator. Re-publishing this information is in breach of the terms of use of that website. Discrete codes and changes have been inserted throughout the textual data shown on the site that will provide incontrovertable proof of copying in the event this information is re-published on other websites. The policy of www.bestcarehome.co.uk is to use all legal avenues to pursue such offenders, including recovery of costs. You have been warned!