Brunel House

This assessment was completed in response to concerns we received about care delivery early in the morning and the management approach. We found no evidence to substantiate those concerns. The service had made improvements and is no longer in breach of regulations. Risks to people’s safety were now being identified and management plans were in place. Governance systems were now effectively identifying areas for improvement and development. There were enough staff now during the day, however, in response to our feedback the provider was reviewing staffing numbers at night.

Since the last inspection there had been a new registered manager employed who was leading the staff teams to make improvements across the service. Various members of staff now completed regular and effective quality checks to identify areas for improvement. The provider also had a team of central office staff who monitored compliance and visited the service to check care delivery.

Staff had access to information about risks to people’s safety on handheld devices which linked to the electronic care planning system. Incident management had improved, and incidents were now recorded and reviewed by management.

Some areas of the environment required maintenance. There had not been a maintenance person employed at the service for some months prior to this assessment. However, a person was now employed and was in the process of implementing an action plan to drive improvement. The service was clean, and staff followed infection prevention and control guidelines.

Staff were recruited safely and had training and opportunities for development. The provider had processes to support staff wellbeing and policies and procedures for staff diversity and inclusion. Staff enjoyed working at the service and told us the management team were approachable.

People had their medicines as prescribed. Staff had training and an assessment of their competence to administer medicines safely. The service had good links with local healthcare professionals and the GP visited regularly. Feedback from healthcare professionals about the staff and management approach was positive.