Bramble Cottage Retirement Home

Who the service is for

This service supports older people and people with physical disabilities, some of whom are living with dementia.

Key findings

We carried out this assessment on 7 October 2026. This service was previously rated as good. We carried out this assessment to confirm whether the rating of good remains accurate. This report does not provide detailed information on areas where we found practice continues to meet a good standard. Instead, our findings focus on any areas where the service needs to improve or where we found exceptional practice.

People received safe, effective and person-centred care from staff who treated them with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff supported people in line with their needs and wishes. Risks to people had been assessed and measures put in place to minimise these. Systems were in place to safeguard people. Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of this and there was a strong ethos about keeping people safe from harm.

People can only be deprived of their liberty to receive care and treatment with appropriate legal authority. In care homes, this can be done through a procedure called the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), which is part of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA). We checked whether the service was working within the principles of the MCA and how they managed DoLS within the service. We found that staff and management worked within the MCA. DoLS authorisations were appropriately applied for and overseen. People were not subject to unlawful or excessive restrictions they had choice, control and freedom over their lives.

Concerns had been appropriately documented and reported to the relevant agencies. Accident and incidents were monitored for any learning opportunities and to minimise recurrence.

There were enough staff with the correct skill set to provide safe care to people. Staff spoke positively about the training available and how it supported them to complete their role. Staff were encouraged to develop their skills and excel in their work. Staff felt supported in the roles and received regularly supervision. All staff spoke positively about the registered manager and how they wouldn’t hesitate to raise any concerns they had.

The environment was clean and tidy. People had personalised items in their rooms. The housekeeping team followed suitable checklists to ensure tasks were completed consistently. Equipment was safely checked and maintained to a good standard.

Medicines were managed safely. The registered manager regularly undertook medicines rounds themselves to maintain oversight of this. Staff received appropriate training to ensure they remained competent to administer medicines.

People’s needs had been robustly assessed. Staff knew people well and delivered care in line with their needs and wishes. Staff worked alongside external professionals to ensure people achieved good outcomes in relation to their health and wellbeing. One professional told us, “Staff are always fully informed of their resident's needs. There is excellent communication with us, which ensures appropriate and timely care can be provided.”

There was a positive culture within the service, with systems in place to provide effective oversight of the quality and safety of care. Leaders understood their responsibilities and the registered manager monitored the service to identify risks and opportunities for improvement. The registered manager told us, “I’m so proud of the team. They are so hands on and reliable. I trust them to do a good job, and they do.” Learning opportunities were used to support good practice and drive continuous improvement, helping to ensure people continued to receive good-quality care.