Brookside Court provides safe, good quality care to people in modern purpose-built accommodation. When we visited people told us they were satisfied with the service and understood how Brookside Court could help them regain their independence. One person told us, 'I came here to get mobile. I'm learning how to walk again.' Another said, 'I had a fall and was in hospital for two weeks. Then I came here to get better so I can go home again.'The home was well-staffed so the people who use the service could have one-to-one support when they needed it. We saw staff working closely with people, helping them to mobilise by following therapies devised by the home's occupational and physio therapists. One person said, 'The staff are helping me to stand so I can go home.'
People told us they were pleased with the staff team. Comments included, 'the staff are tremendous', 'the staff here go beyond the call of duty', and 'nothing's too much trouble for the staff, they bend over backwards for us.' One person, who had returned to Brookside Court after a gap of a number of years, told us, 'When I arrived here today the staff remembered me. It's unbelievable.'
We saw that the staff worked hard to keep the people who use the service active and safe. One person said, 'The staff play games with the residents, like dominoes and ball games, to get them moving.' Another said, 'When the residents are starting to walk again the staff follow them with a wheelchair in case they need to sit down suddenly.'
The acting manager told us, 'The current staff team are excellent; they're willing to learn that little bit more, and are very keen on the principles of rehabilitation.' Further comments by people who use the service included, 'all the staff here and the managers go out of their way to help me', and 'there are more dedicated than any staff I've ever known.'
Staff help the people who use the service to move into the wider community once they have left Brookside Court. One person told us, 'Before I go home the staff and the occupational therapists will go out and make sure all the equipment is there for me.' This helps to ensure that people are able to live independently when they are discharged from the home.
People told us they felt safe at Brookside Court and said they knew who to speak to if there was anything wrong. One person told us, 'I feel very safe here. So safe that I don't want to leave.' Another said they'd been given written information about what to do if they had any concerns. They said, 'There's letter about complaining in my room but I'd just tell a member of staff if something was wrong and they'd sort it out.'
People told us staff listened to them and gave them opportunities to comment on the service they received. One said, 'I've done a few surveys since I've been here - on the home and the staff.' Another told us, 'There's nothing here that needs improving but they keep asking anyway.'
From listening to people's views improvements have been made. For example one person told staff that they felt 'anxious' on arrival at Brookside after staff had settled them into their room and then left them alone. In response a designated member of staff now spends a few hours with each new arrival, taking them to the lounge or dining room and introducing them to others who are staying at the home.