Burman House

Updated 6 December 2023

The inspection

We carried out this inspection under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the Act) as part of our regulatory functions. We checked whether the provider was meeting the legal requirements and regulations associated with the Act. We looked at the overall quality of the service and provided a rating for the service under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.

Inspection team

The inspection was carried out by 3 inspectors and an expert by experience. An Expert by Experience is a person who has personal experience of using or caring for someone who uses this type of care service.

Service and service type

Burman House is a care home. People in care homes receive accommodation and nursing and/or personal care as a single package under one contractual agreement dependent on their registration with us. Burman House is a care home without nursing care. CQC regulates both the premises and the care provided, and both were looked at during this inspection.

Registered Manager

This provider is required to have a registered manager to oversee the delivery of regulated activities at this location. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Registered managers and providers are legally responsible for how the service is run, for the quality and safety of the care provided and compliance with regulations.

At the time of our inspection there was a registered manager in post.

Notice of Inspection

This inspection was unannounced.

What we did before the inspection

We reviewed information we had received about the service since the last inspection. We sought feedback from the local authority.

We used the information the provider sent us in the provider information return (PIR). This is information providers are required to send us annually with key information about their service, what they do well, and improvements they plan to make. We used all this information to plan our inspection.

During the inspection

We spoke with 4 people using the service and 7 relatives to gain their view of the service. We spoke with staff including the registered manager, the cook, domestic staff, activities coordinator, a student, a senior staff member, and 2 care support workers.

We reviewed a range of records. This included people's care records and medication records. We looked at staff files in relation to recruitment. We viewed a variety of records relating to the management of the service, including quality assurance audits, training records, key policies and meeting minutes.

Updated 6 December 2023

About the service

Burman House provides residential care for up to 25 older people some were living with dementia. At the time of our inspection there were 13 people using the service. Burman House is a single storey building. There were a number of fully accessible lounges, a large dining room and although rooms were not ensuite there were sufficient bathrooms and toilets.

People’s experience of using this service and what we found

People spoken with were happy at the service and felt safe. They were supported by staff who were familiar with their needs and there were consistent numbers of permanent staff.

Effective recruitment procedures were in place to ensure only suitable staff were employed to work with people using the service. Staff were sufficiently trained and supported by the management team who told us they liked to recognize and acknowledge when staff were working well and praise their staff team.

People’s care needs and any risks associated with their care were clearly documented and we observed staff following the care plans and providing safe care. Assistive technology was used appropriately to enhance people’s care and alert staff to when people at risk of falls were mobilising. This helped to reduce the number of falls.

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.

We observed high standards of cleanliness throughout the home and staff had a good understanding about how to reduce the risk of cross infection. Domestic staff vacancies were being recruited to and there was to be an overlap to ensure deep cleaning could be undertaken.

There was clear guidance as to how people liked to take their medicines and any risks associated with their health and how medicines were prescribed to help manage their symptoms. Where medicines were prescribed as required there was clear guidance in place and staff were medicine trained and assessed as competent.

All relatives spoken with were happy with the service and felt their family member was safe. The management team were knowledgeable and supportive of their staff. Audits helped to ensure that the service was being managed appropriately and equipment was tested and safe to use.

There was a positive working environment where staff and people using the service appeared to get on well and enjoy each other’s company. People received person centred care.

For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk

Rating at last inspection

The last rating for this service was Good (published 16 May 2018)

Why we inspected

This inspection was prompted by a review of the information we held about this service. We undertook a focused inspection to review the key questions of Safe and Well-led.

For those key questions not inspected, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection to calculate the overall rating. The overall rating for the service has remained Good based on the findings of this inspection.

You can read the report from our last comprehensive inspection, by selecting the ‘all reports’ link for Burman House on our website at www.cqc.org.uk

Follow up

We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service, which will help inform when we next inspect.