The Briars Residential Care Home

Improvements to the premises were being made, which enhanced the appearance and safety of the service. There were processes in place to ensure a programme of maintenance and repair was followed. The home was clean. There were enough staff to meet people’s needs and they knew how to support people in a person-centred way, and in a way that promoted their independence. Risks were managed and staff had guidance to follow which was contained within care plans. People were given their medicines safely and improvements had been made to the processes to improve safety and recording. Staff treated people with kindness and respect, and knew people they supported well. Staff were well trained to carry out their role and received positive support from management. People were actively involved in decision making about their care, and staff ensured people and their families felt included and their views and preferences were listened to and acted upon. Oversight and governance processes had been improved and were being used to improve the quality of care. We saw lessons had been learned from incidents, complaints and feedback. For example, medicines management.

The adapted environment posed challenges. The building was historic in nature and had been extended twice. Staff were not using lap belts when people were moved in wheelchairs, this placed people at risk of harm from falling. Following the inspection we followed up on matters and all wheelchair users had a lap belt in place utilised for their safety.