Blackheath Brain Injury Rehabilitation Centre

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

This means we looked for evidence that the service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last inspection, we rated this key question good. At this inspection, the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

Patients said staff treated them with respect. A patient described how a staff member stayed with them beyond the end of their shift to offer support during a period of physical discomfort. We observed staff engaging with patients in a professional and caring manner. Staff were approachable and responded to individual needs. Most patients reported no cultural or spiritual needs, though 1 confirmed access to a multi-faith room. Another patient had care tailored to their dietary needs. In another case, a patient described how staff supported them to visit their dog, which positively impacted their wellbeing. Interpreters were available to support communication where required.

At our previous inspection, we recommended that the provider ensure staff were aware of the 5 requirements of the Accessible Information Standard. At this inspection, we found this had improved. Staff IDs now displayed these 5 key requirements, and posters were clearly visible throughout the service.

Family members told us that the service offered a good range of activities that supported patient engagement and recovery.

The provider had a process in place to support carer involvement in patient care and treatment. This included a quarterly carers’ newsletter, a family summer barbecue, and invitations to carers for afternoon tea events.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

Patients felt treated with kindness and respect. One patient we spoke with who had an ongoing physical health concern, told us how a staff member stayed with them hours after their shift had ended, to ensure they felt supported and cared for.

Staff reported mixed experiences. Some described good teamwork, supportive colleagues, and effective communication, with differences resolved constructively.

We observed good evidence of caring and professional staff who knew the patients. Staff were approachable to patients and responsive to individual needs.

Most patients said they had no cultural or spiritual needs, but 1 patient noted they had access to a multi-faith room. Staff supported another patient by taking them out in a wheelchair to visit their dog, which improved their well-being. Another patient received a soft food diet tailored to their care and treatment needs.

Patients receive a holistic assessment from a multi-disciplinary team upon admission and are involved in goal reviews with their family and carers. Access to interpreters is provided when needed to support effective communication.

At our previous inspection, we suggested that the service should ensure staff are aware of the 5 requirements of the Accessible Information Standard. At this inspection, we found that staff were now aware of these requirements. Staff IDs had the 5 key requirements printed on the back, and posters were visibly displayed on the walls throughout the service.

We spoke with 6 family members as part of the assessment. Family members told us there was a good level of activities available to support patients.

Staff and leaders told us they supported people to maintain their independence and make informed choices about their care.

Staff used clear, respectful communication and adjusted their approach based on people’s responses
The provider had a process in place to ensure carers were involved in care and treatment. This included carers quarterly newsletter, a family summer BBQ, and an afternoon tea invitation for family and carers.

We did not look at Responding to peoples immediate needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

Due to the numbers of vacancies within the therapy department, some staff told us they felt their workload was unmanageable.