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

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.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People and relatives spoke highly of the staff that worked at Brookfields Private Nursing Home. One person told us, “Staff are just lovely. [I need personal care] and that could be so embarrassing, but the staff are just so matter of fact and kind about everything that it’s as okay as it can be.” A relative said they had always felt welcomed when they visited their relative. They said, “It’s been like that from day one. There are no restrictions and I can visit every day and so does my [other relative]. The staff are so kind, and I honestly just can’t wait to get here.”

We observed staff speak to people with warmth and kindness and this was extended to people’s visiting relatives. We observed one staff member brought a relative some food while they visited their loved one and saw this was very much appreciated.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

We observed staff knew people well and knew about their individual preferences. For example, we observed staff bring a person their newspaper when they were having a sit down. Other staff told us about how people’s religious needs were supported and planned for.

People felt staff supported them and treated them as individuals. One person told us how staff had supported their relatives to visit the home before they moved in to personalise it for them. They said, “My [relatives] did all the photos before I came. Staff welcomed them in before I arrived so they could make it homely for me. It’s lovely.”

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.

People’s choices were fully understood and respected. People who practised particular religions were supported to follow their beliefs. A pastoral team visited from the local church to provide people with communion and staff told us a person would visit the local church on a Sunday. Staff had made another person a sign for their door so they would not be disturbed when they took part in religious meetings and reorganised their meals around those times. Activities were organised to help celebrate a diverse range of religious and cultural celebrations. For example, people had been making pom-poms and were planning to use these to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The provider always offered a range of activities to support people's wellbeing. They were based on the NHS’s 5 steps to wellbeing and included, connecting with people, being physically active, learning skills, giving to others and being present. This helped ensure activities were totally individualised, relevant, varied and purposeful, and gave people the opportunity to be active and socially engaged as well as fostering positive relationships between the staff teams, people and relatives. The home held successful charity fundraising events involving staff, people and relatives. People’s links to the local community were effectively supported. For example, leaders told us the local school visited the home at Christmas and Easter, and they supported volunteer staff to visit weekly to spend time with people. Bringing different generations together gave people the chance to connect with people of all ages and take part in shared activities. The provider also organised regular charity coffee mornings, newspaper deliveries, and themed buffets. These activities helped people stay connected to their local community.

People were consistently involved in planning activities. For example, weekly activities bulletins were developed with people's input, and people provided feedback on activities. People also joined competitions and quizzes, with the staff participating alongside them. Families and friends were regularly involved in events and activities, giving people the opportunity to spend time with loved ones and maintain important relationships.

We found examples of where staff had gone over and above to help people achieve important things. One staff member told us about a person who could not attend an awards ceremony and so the staff arranged for the event to take place within the home. This meant the person was able to take part in a significant life event and maintain a sense of independence despite health limitations.

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 staff respond to people’s immediate needs. For example, we observed staff ask a person if they were okay and they told the staff member that they were not, and that they felt in pain. The staff member said, “We could get you some pain relief gel. That might help. Would you like to do it now or after your dinner?” The person chose to have the pain relief gel applied before dinner and the staff member helped them out of their chair so they could go and provide them with the pain relief gel. This showed how staff responded to support people with their immediate needs.

Another person told us, “When I arrived here there was a different chair, but it felt hard and staff didn’t think it was right for me, so they changed it straight away. This one is much better. It’s very comfortable. I think it’s a new one. It looks new and it reclines.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they felt valued and supported. This was noticed by people and contributed to the happy atmosphere in the home. One person told us, “It strikes me as such a happy place. The staff seem happy and are very kind.”

Leaders provided examples of how they helped staff manage work and home life commitments by offering different shift patterns and had supported staff to change role when this could help. Leaders supported volunteers into the home and told us how they linked them with consistent staff members to help them feel well-supported. This helped show the wellbeing of the staff team and volunteers was supported.