Stonebridge Nursing Home

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 the last inspection this key question was rated outstanding. At this inspection the rating has remained outstanding.

This meant people were truly respected, treated with kindness and compassion and valued as individuals; people were partners in their care in an exceptionally caring service.

This service scored 90 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations and visitors with kindness and respect. One relative told us, “When I visit [person living at the service] they [staff] make me feel welcome, it feels like being in a friend’s house”.

People and relatives were highly complementary about the care they or their family member received. One relative told us, “The care which they [staff] provide is very good, it is incredible to honest. All the staff are kind and caring”.

People were relaxed, confident and comfortable in the company of staff and there was a mutual respect for each other. There was a calm, relaxed, friendly atmosphere where everyone was included and involved. Where residents were showing signs of upset or distress staff tried to understand why and worked with the person to reduce their anxieties, until they were settled. There was constant reassurance and encouragement from staff.

During our observations we noted staff to have an in-depth understanding of the people they were supporting. Staff anticipated people’s needs, supported people in a patient manner and treated people with kindness and care. One relative told us, “[Person living at the service]’s dignity and privacy are always maintained, I would personally recommend this home to anyone. I am happy with everything, they [staff] look after [person] really well.”

The provider very much treated people as individuals and all members of the team were involved in this approach. The service made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

When staff and leaders spoke with us about individuals and the challenging events they had experienced, they consistently referred to people in a respectful and empathetic manner.

Comprehensive care planning information was in place to help staff to understand what was important to the person, for example, what the person liked to wear, their favourite routines, personal history, religious beliefs and the circle of people important in their lives.

People and their families were actively encouraged and supported to be involved in decisions about their care and support and creating their care plans right from the start of their care journey with Stonebridge. Prior to admission discussions were held with the individual and their family regarding their personal preferences for their bedroom. They were supported to pick options for the decor and type of bedding etc they preferred. Once people had moved into the home, people were encouraged and supported to make as many choices and decisions about their day to day living as possible. For example, food choices, where and when they ate; when to get up or go to bed; how to spend their time and with whom. Staffing levels allowed for spontaneous trips and activity as well as planned events.

The service was not risk averse. Risk assessments were in place to enable people to take positive risks that enabled them to live meaningful lives. We observed how staff applied their skills and knowledge to adopt a person-centred approach that helped reduce anxiety for people. For example, 1 person wanted to ride a push bike, to gain more freedom. Staff supported them to buy 1 and they were planning cycle routes together to help build the person’s confidence. Systems and processes were in place to make sure people were treated as individuals; staff practices reflected these.

The provider was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. The provider recognised that promoting independence in people with dementia vastly improved their quality of life. Self-esteem and emotional well-being were enhanced whilst negative feelings of frustration and agitation were reduced.

Staff promoted people’s independence which also helped people preserve skills, maintain routines, and aimed to slow down the progression of their cognitive and physical decline. Staff spent time with people and worked out what their preferences were and how they liked to spend their time. By speaking with people in ways that made sense to those individuals and taking small steps, people’s individual preferences had been fully supported. Staff shared examples with us regarding individuals who had been given notice by their previous care providers and were initially unsettled moving into Stonebridge. However, as a result of staff working with those individuals to identify their preferred form of communication and what was important to them, people had settled quickly into life at Stonebridge and were now thriving.

People were supported to make choices about how they spent their time and had opportunities to pursue different activities. Care plans included how best to support people in line with their preferences and further details such as how they like to be dressed and their preferred care routines. One relative told us, “They [staff] provide person centred care offering [person] therapeutic activities like painting and drawing, that is something [person] enjoys.”

People’s communication needs had been assessed and plans put in place. People had specific communication needs relating to their sight and hearing. We saw staff had received training on how to communicate with people effectively and witnessed staff putting this training into practice. For example, staff adapted the communication tools they used to support certain people dependent on where they were located. This was on the person’s request and enabled them to retain independence and privacy.

People told us they were offered different choices at mealtimes and could opt to have staff cook them something else if they didn’t want any of the main choices. People who were able to use the kitchen independently were supported to make meals of their choice to maximise their independence. One person told us, “The food is really good, they [staff] have a daily menu but are happy to cook my favourite food which is pasta. In the lounge there is a fridge with cold drinks which I am able to access and the support staff will make hot drinks whenever I want them, I only have to ask them”.

Staff always responded to people’s immediate needs. People never had to wait for support when they asked for it and staff were always on hand to support people.

The ways in which staff responded to people’s3immediate needs was exceptional. We heard words of reassurance and encouragement from kind and patient staff, who took time out to sit with people until they were more relaxed and calmer.

The service was staffed with a higher ratio of staff to people, so staff were always available to support people quicker and were able to observe from a distance enabling them to step in and support people before they became distressed.

We observed staff interacting with people in an exceptionally responsive and caring way. Staff ensured people’s privacy was maintained at all times and worked together as a team to ensure people’s needs were responded to quickly but appropriately and in a very person-centred way.

People and relatives were full of praise and gratitude for the staff. One relative told us, “I am definitely satisfied with the care.” Another relative said, “There is always staff around to support [person living at the service] and they make us feel included in all aspects of [person’s] care.”

The Home is part of the Restraint Reduction Network; although staff are fully trained in the use of restrictive interventions as a last resort, the staff team were committed to a “hands off” approach wherever possible. Staff reduced reliance on restrictive practices and focused on prevention, de-escalation and reflective practice which in turn promoted a positive culture within the home.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff worked together exceptionally well as a team and felt valued. Staff enjoyed working at the service and felt well supported by the management team. They had regular discussions and supervisions to discuss their job roles and any support they may need. Staff were passionate about improvement and described that they were striving for excellence so they could deliver the best care possible to the people living at the service. This was reflected in the outstanding ways they supported people as discussed throughout this report. Staff shared with us how the provider had supported them to access additional training or mentoring to help the staff members further their own career. Managers supported staff who needed time off due to ill health. Staff gave examples of how they had been supported to take time off, and/or work flexibly when they had been sick, during pregnancy, when members of their family had been sick or if they’d experience a family emergency. In addition, staff were supported to work flexibly to ensure they could meet family commitments.