Briarwood

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 service involved people andtreated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At the last inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection the rating has remained good. This meant people’s outcomes were consistently good, and people’s feedback confirmed this. 

This service scored 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. People consistently told us staff were “lovely, kind, caring and helpful,” and we observed warm, patient and unhurried interactions throughout the home. Relatives described staff as being empathetic and sensitive. Although people were at the service for such a short time staff knew them well and had built trusting relationships. People felt valued and respected as individuals, and staff were attentive to maintaining people’s privacy and personal preferences.

Staff treated people as individuals and made sure the care, support and treatment offered met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Staff were very knowledgeable about people’s likes, communication styles and health conditions and used this information to adapt their approach. People experienced care that recognised and upheld their individuality. People and relatives were consulted during assessments, and staff recognised what mattered most to individuals, including personal appearance, routines and cultural or religious needs. Staff were sensitive to people’s needs and explored ways to ensure they felt at ease. For example, one person found a great deal of comfort wearing particular night attire and staff ensured these items were always available. There were no activities coordinators, but a staff member acted as the event and activities organiser. They were extremely effective at finding creative and engaging activities that provided people with meaningful activities and assisted the team complete the assessment. Staff had also held events such as celebrations of Internal Nigerian Day, and these were extremely well received.

Staff promoted people’s independence. They made sure people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People were encouraged to do tasks for themselves where possible, with staff offering assistance only when needed. Records showed staff sought consent appropriately and worked within the Mental Capacity Act, including completing decision‑specific assessments and considering the least restrictive options. People had choices in areas such as food, daily routines and how they spent their time, and staff adapted the support they offered to reflect on these choices. Relatives found staff always kept them up to date and ensured people received timely professional input.

Staff 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 staff were responsive to individual’s needs and people confirmed this was the case. Staff were knowledgeable about each person and could describe their needs, including how any of their cultural needs were met. We observed lots of very positive interactions and found 1:1 support was provided in a very considerate and compassionate manner which was unobtrusive.

The provider was exceptional at promoting workforce wellbeing and enabling staff to deliver high-quality, person-centred care. The senior management team monitored operational delivery to ensure staff well-being was maintained and they had adequate support to deliver the service. The senior management team were extremely responsive to staff concerns and listened closely to their feedback. Following changes in the Home Office guidance around requirements for international workers to remain in the UK, the provider acted quickly to resolve these and within 2 days had increased the base pay scale for all of the staff. They supported staff in a wide range of other areas such as salary sacrifice schemes, health benefits and early draw down of wages, which greatly benefited staff and improved their well-being. A staff member said, “I don’t think they fully realise the massive positive impact the steps they took to make sure we were secure had. It was fantastic and lifted such a huge weight off our shoulders.” The people’s director also acted as an advocate in many national and governmental forums ensuring there was a fairness and equity of access across all benefit schemes.

Staff described feeling well supported by approachable managers who provided regular supervision and valued their contributions. A staff member said, “I have worked for the company for many years, and this is because it has always valued us.” Another staff member said, “We have very supportive managers who care about us.” Staff were encouraged and supported to complete 2 days a year as volunteers as the team found this gave people a sense of well-being. Recently the provider had won a North East of England Excellence in Health and Wellbeing Award. The provider ran an award scheme for staff and recently the staff member who oversaw the activities won their ‘Tom Carpenter Award’ for their development of a very creative activities programme, which they really valued.