Briggs Lodge Residential and Nursing Home

Accommodation is provided on 3 floors accessed by stairs and a lift. People have their own room with en- suite facilities. There are also communal toilets, bathrooms, lounges and dining areas. There is a cinema room, café, bar and a hairdressing salon. People can access the garden from the ground floor. Some rooms on the ground floor also have access to the garden.

The registered manager told us recruitment had been successful, but staffing had been a challenge. They used agency staff to fill gaps in rotas but had not needed to use them as often in the month prior to the inspection. Staff calling in with short notice sickness had been a concern, but the registered manager was addressing this with support from the provider.

Staff had been recruited safely and received training when they started employment. Training covered a range of topics including safeguarding, infection prevention and control and manual handling. Staff we spoke with understood their role in safeguarding and how to report any concerns. The service reported any concerns to local authority safeguarding teams and notified CQC when needed.

People had a personalised care plan which was regularly reviewed. All records were held electronically and only accessed by staff with the required log in passwords. Information about people's life history and guidance on how they wanted their care delivered was recorded.

Overall risks to people's safety were assessed with risk management plans in place for staff to follow. We found behaviour support guidance for 2 people was not in place. This was addressed during our inspection. Additional monitoring to mitigate risks had taken place and was recorded. We found conflicting records for 1 person; their notes were not consistent with a record on an accident form. The registered manager took immediate action to address this shortfall.

People's medicines were safely managed. Staff had training on how to safely administer medicines and their competence was regularly checked. There had been issues with obtaining medicines stock from the

pharmacy, but the registered manager was reviewing suppliers to make improvements.

The service was clean throughout, and staff had cleaning schedules in place to cover all areas of the home. Staff wore personal protective equipment (PPE) when needed and there were specific areas identified to store, put on and take off PPE. People had COVID-19 risk assessments in place which helped to identify people more at risk of catching COVID-19.

People were able to have visitors when they wished. We observed family members visiting all times of the day and in the evenings. Activities were taking place which anyone was welcome to join. Special events were planned for national celebratory days such as Easter and the new King's coronation. Information about activities people enjoyed was recorded in their care plans.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice.

People at the end of their life had their wishes recorded. Staff worked with local healthcare professionals to make sure people had medicines they needed to be comfortable at this time in their lives. Local GPs visited weekly and other healthcare professionals could be called if needed.

There was a registered manager in post. Staff told us they were approachable and visible in the service. Staff told us there was good teamwork amongst staff and good communication. Systems were in place to manage complaints and information about how to complain was available. Quality monitoring was regularly carried out by the management team and the provider. This meant the provider had a good oversight of how the service was performing. Any actions identified were added to an overall service improvement plan.

Meetings were held regularly. People could attend weekly 'residents meetings' and staff had opportunity to also meet to discuss changes and ideas. Systems such as keyworker, named nurses and resident of the day were in place. These helped people to discuss their care and make sure their preferences and wishes were known.