Northbrooke House

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

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people felt well-supported, cared for and were treated with dignity and respect.

This service scored 85 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service treated people with exceptional kindness, empathy and compassion and they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff treated family members and colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Specific consideration was given to ensuring people were supported by staff best placed to meet their individual needs and preferences. Care staff were aware which people preferred personal care from staff of a particular gender and told us this was always met. A staff member who spoke the same first language as a person went with them when the person required an emergency hospital admission. This meant the person who (due to dementia) would have been very frightened, confused and anxious in an unfamiliar setting was supported by someone they knew who could explain and support them to accept the necessary medical intervention.

All staff demonstrated a real empathy for the people they cared for treating them with kindness and compassion and respected people’s privacy and dignity. For example, a staff member supported a person on their day off, to purchase flowers and place these on their mother’s grave on Mothering Sunday. This demonstrated a commitment to person-centred care, emotional wellbeing and respecting what mattered most to the person. People and family members told us people were always treated with kindness and nothing was too much trouble for staff. Comments included, “It’s a lovely home and the staff are so caring here, we couldn’t ask for better care”, and “It’s not just the care staff but all the staff here are so kind and caring.”

Northbrooke House ensured people were treated as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s individual needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Feedback from people, family members and staff and our observations showed people were understood and treated as individuals. Staff were able to describe people’s individual preferences and demonstrated they knew people well. At lunch time we saw that staff knew people’s preferences and provided these. People’s interests were supported, for example one person worked with the gardener. The manager described how positive this was for the person who had a real purpose in his life. We saw other people clearly enjoying undertaking light cleaning duties in a communal lounge. Meaningful activity of this type promoted independence and physical and mental wellbeing. Another person was supported to participate in a large charity event boosting their confidence, physical health, and sense of achievement.

Care plans included information about people’s cultural, spiritual or religious views and what support may be required to meet these. For example, a person did not have English as their first language and had a non-English cultural background. Access to their first language TV channels had been arranged to provide comfort and familiarity.Activities such as music, Bollywood films, and familiar cultural references had been introduced to make the person feel at home.

An external professional told us they would definitely recommend the home adding, “Anyone with complex dementia. I feel the home have really good strategies and skills for working with people and the layout of the home, access to a secure garden and a number of communal areas supports this.”

The management team and staff promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. An external social care professional told us, “A person who can speak to me in some detail is really positive and grateful to the care staff. They offer him a lot of flexibility in the way his care needs are met. They are able to spend long periods in the garden and feel no restrictions despite being in a locked unit.” A range of activities was on offer both within the home and in the community. A staff member told us, “We have use of a mini bus and can take people out. I heard they have little piglets at Quarr Abbey, so I asked the residents if they would like to see them, I got a good response so we are arranging a visit.”

Independence was promoted and encouraged. People had access to mobility aids and at lunch time we saw people were provided with the support they needed. Choice was promoted, for example, sample plates of meals were shown to people to enable informed decision making. A person showed us her manicured nails and said “I choose this colour, (activities staff member) did them for me, it makes me feel glamorous.” A family member told us, “I can’t speak highly enough of this home. They look after him very well and understand about dementia, they know how this affects people and how to make him happy and settled.” A person told us, “I don’t have to get up early, sometimes I choose to lay in for a while. I like to have a wash every morning, with the care staff helping me.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. We observed interactions between staff and people that demonstrated relationships were caring and compassionate, enabling staff to anticipate and meet people’s needs quickly and in ways that reduced and mitigated people’s discomfort and distress. The management team made sure that staff had the time to provide care and support in a compassionate and person centred way. For example, the manager told us staffing levels were being increased at busier times of the day. People told us call bells were responded to in a timely way and the registered manager undertook audits of this. Emergency alarms (movement alert equipment) sounded different to generical call bells meaning staff were able to prioritise these.

People’s individual aspirations were identified and respected. Staff had discussed with people their individual wishes. For example, one person had wanted to go out for a 99 ice-cream and this had been arranged.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff felt valued and were clear that they could speak with the management team at any time and that their views, opinions and suggestions would be listened to. The manager understood the need to make reasonable adjustments for staff who may have social, religious or culture needs to fulfil. Individually tailored support for staff could be offered if specific situations arose. Subsidised staff transport to and from work was provided meaning staff did not have extended journey or travel times. Support was provided where necessary for staff to secure suitable accommodation.