We carried out a review of the data available to us about Bickerton House on 6 July 2023. We have not found evidence that we need to carry out an inspection or reassess our rating at this stage.
This could change at any time if we receive new information. We will continue to monitor data about this service.
If you have concerns about Bickerton House, you can give feedback on this service.
Bickerton House is a care home with nursing registered to provide personal and nursing care for up to 77 people. At the time of inspection there were 20 people living in the purpose-built home, across two of four floors, one of which specialised in providing care to people living with dementia.
People’s experience of using this service and what we found
People experienced safe care and were protected from avoidable harm by trusted staff, who had completed safeguarding training and knew how to recognise and report abuse. Staff identified and assessed risks to people effectively and managed them safely. The registered manager ensured enough staff were deployed, with the right mix of skills to deliver care and support to meet people’s needs. Staff had completed a robust recruitment process, including their conduct in previous care roles to assure their suitability to support older people. People received their medicines safely from staff, in accordance with recognised guidance. Staff maintained high standards of cleanliness and hygiene in the home, which reduced the risk of infection, in accordance with the provider's policies and procedures, and government guidance.
Staff assessed all aspects of people’s physical, emotional and social needs and ensured these were met to achieve good outcomes for them. Staff were effectively supported to develop and maintain the required skills and knowledge to support people according to their needs. Staff emphasised the importance of eating and drinking well and reflected best practice in how they supported people to maintain a healthy balanced diet. Staff worked effectively with healthcare professionals to make sure care and treatment met people’s changing needs and achieved good outcomes. The home had been purpose built to meet the needs of older people and those living with dementia, with natural light flooding into all areas to help orientate people.
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 experienced caring relationships where staff treated them with kindness and compassion in their day-to-day care. People were supported to make decisions about their care and these choices were respected by staff. Staff consistently treated people in a respectful manner and intervened discretely to maintain their personal dignity. Staff knew how to comfort and reassure different people when they were worried or confused.
People had experienced person-centred care, which consistently achieved good outcomes and had significantly improved the quality and longevity of their lives. People received information in a way they could understand and process, allowing for any impairment, such as poor eyesight or hearing. People were enabled to live as full a life as possible and were supported to take part in imaginative activities, which enriched the quality of their lives. People were supported to keep in touch with family and friends, which had a positive impact on their well-being. People knew how to make complaints and were confident the management team would listen and address their concerns. The service worked closely with healthcare professionals and provided good end of life care, which respected people’s wishes and ensured they experienced a comfortable, dignified and pain-free death.
The management team led by example and promoted a strong caring, person-centred culture where people and staff felt valued. Staff were passionate about their role and consistently placed people at the heart of the service, clearly demonstrating the caring values of the provider. The registered manager understood their responsibilities to inform people when things went wrong and the importance of conducting thorough investigations to identify lessons learnt to prevent reoccurrences. The governance structure ensured there were robust measures to monitor quality, safety and the experience of people within the service. Quality assurance was embedded within the culture and running of the service, to drive continuous improvement. During the pandemic, staff had used technical solutions to keep families up to date with events and activities going on in the home, which they found reassuring.
For more details, please see the full report which is on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk
Rating at last inspection
This service was registered with us on 6 January 2020 and this is the first inspection.
Why we inspected
This was a planned inspection based on when the service registered with us.
We looked at infection prevention and control measures under the Safe key question. We look at this in all care home inspections even if no concerns or risks have been identified. This is to provide assurance that the service can respond to COVID-19 and other infection outbreaks effectively.
Follow up
We will continue to monitor information we receive about the service until we return to visit as per our re-inspection programme. If we receive any concerning information we may inspect sooner.