Brooklands Homecare Ltd – Edenbridge

“We identified 2 breaches of the legal regulation in relation to safe care and treatment and good governance.”

“The inspection found that underpinning systems and governance were not yet robust. Some risks for people had not been assessed, for example risks in relation people’s catheter or specific health conditions. People’s risk assessments and care plans did not always contain detailed or up-to-date guidance for example around skin integrity concerns and had not always been reviewed following changes. Medicines management required significant improvement, with unsafe practices, missing information, and inaccuracies in Medicine Administration Records (MAR) charts. Oversight processes such as audits for incident analysis, medicines, and care records were not up to date. This limited leaders’ ability to ensure safe and effective care. Leaders responded constructively to inspection feedback and implemented an immediate action plan during the inspection to strengthen governance, improve record‑keeping and increase audit activity.”

“Despite the concerns found, the culture of the service was positive. People received care from a small, familiar staff team who were consistently described as kind, respectful and supportive. People told us they felt safe at home and valued the continuity of regular carers who knew them well. Staff worked collaboratively with families and supported people to remain independent in their daily routines. Visits were usually on time and people felt listened to, respected and involved in day‑to‑day decisions. Staff felt valued and supported.”

“We have asked the provider for an action plan in response to the concerns found at this inspection.”

“During this inspection we spoke with 4 people and 5 relatives. We spoke with the nominated individual/registered manager, the branch manager, care supervisor as well as senior care and care staff. We also received feedback from a professional. We looked at records of people’s care as well as records to support the management of the service.”