This inspection was carried out on 9th 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.
Annual service review
Name of Service: Bramblings Residential Home The quality rating for this care home is: The rating was made on: two star good service 1 4 0 1 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?
Yes 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: Gary Bartlett Date of this annual service review: 0 8 0 1 2 0 1 0 Annual Service Review Page 1 of 6 Information about the service
Address of service: Hartley Road Longfield Kent DA3 7PE 01474702332 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: Bramblings (Kent) Limited Number of places (if applicable): Under 65 Over 65 0 42 The maximum number of service users to be accommodated is 42. 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 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 Bramblings Residential Home provides accommodation and 24 hour care for up to 42 older people. Bramblings is situated in a quiet close, within walking distance of the village of Longfield. Public transport is available nearby. The home is surrounded by gardens and there are car parking facilities on site. 1 4 0 1 2 0 0 9 Annual Service Review Page 2 of 6 Details of current weekly fees can be obtained from the The Manager along with information about any additional charges . 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. Information we have 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 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? At its last Key Inspection, conducted on 14th January 2009, this care home was rated as a two star good service with judgments of adequate for the Daily Life and Social Activities outcome group and good for all other outcome groups. No requirements were made. One formal recommendation was made. This was that a more structured programme of activities, based on residents preferences, should be provided to give incentive for people to participate and lessen the risk of social isolation. The report also recorded the following: That the Manager said she would review the facilities for the storage and preparation of medicines to ensure they fully complied with the latest guidelines from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Some work was needed to make parts of the new extension more inviting, for example, the lounge on the first floor. The staff application forms should be updated to comply with current employment legislation. The training matrix needed updating to give a management overview of courses attended and those booked. The recording of staff induction was to be reviewed so it was more easily monitored. The Activities Co-Ordinator had not received specific training in providing meaningful activities for older people. The Manager had said it was intended to include health care professionals such as Care Managers in future quality assurance surveys. At a safeguarding case conference meeting held on 7th August 2009, recommendations were made that photographs of service users could be put with their Medication Administration Record sheets and that thresholds, one in particular, may be addressed in the homes environmental risk assessment. A letter dated 11th August 2009 from the Manager states that improvements have been made in the arrangements for the storage and recording of medications since our Annual Service Review Page 4 of 6 last inspection. The home sent us their Annual Quality Assurance Assessment, (AQAA) when we asked for it. Whilst all parts were completed, the information is brief. It indicates the recommendations about recording staff training have been acted on and that an Activities Co-ordinator is now employed full time. It does not mention training for this person, if environmental risk assessments have been further developed or if the quality assurance systems now include collecting the views of other health care professionals on a regular and proactive basis. The AQAA states the home employs people of a broad ethnic range and has increased its staffing levels. The AQAA does include recognition by the home that it could improve in some areas, such as making more stringent checks on prospective staff members references and better recording of interview notes, but it does not always show how the home intends to address these. Nor does it demonstrate how the home is ensuring it complies with all new legislation. For example, there is no mention of the Mental Capacity Act or Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The AQAA does not tell us very much about the views of the people living at the home. The AQAA records the home had received three complaints in the last twelve months. One of which was upheld and one of which was still being investigated. The Commission has directly received information from one residents relative about the service in that time. The person was very clear they wanted us to treat their concerns about the home as intelligence only and did not want to make a complaint with The Bramblings as they had little faith in their procedures. To date, the surveys we sent to be distributed are not available for us to include in this review. There have been three safeguarding alerts in the last twelve months, one of which was closed immediately. What are we going to do as a result of this annual service review? In view of the lack of information within the Annual Quality Assurance Assessment, we do not have enough evidence to be sure be the home continues to provide good standards of care. Accordingly, we will bring our next key inspection forward to be done by 31st March 2010. Annual Service Review Page 5 of 6 Reader Information
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