Brookfield

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 75 (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 positively about the caring approach of staff within the home. One relative told us, “The staff work really hard here and provide an excellent service.” One person said, “The staff are all very nice and very helpful.” We observed staff interacting with people in a warm and reassuring manner and taking time to speak with people throughout the day. The atmosphere within the home was relaxed, with people appearing comfortable.

Staff knew people well and responded to people in a caring and respectful way. We observed staff recognising when people required reassurance, comfort or encouragement and responding appropriately. One person told us, “[It is] very nice here and staff are quite helpful.”
 

The provider treated people as individuals and 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.
Staff understood people’s individual preferences, routines and the ways people preferred to receive support. People received care from staff who knew them well and understood what was important to them. People were encouraged to maintain interests and routines meaningful to them, which reflected their individual choices and abilities. Care records contained personalised information about people’s backgrounds, preferences and support needs to help staff provide person-centred care. One person told us, “I would like to say what a nice atmosphere it is. Staff are helpful and they talk to you.”
Staff adapted support around individual preferences, including, for example, arranging meals people liked and recognising specific choices such as a person preferring to dine in their bedroom. One staff member said, “Everything is about the residents, everything is personalised.”
Relatives told us that staff spent time getting to know people, they knew them well and respected them as individuals.
 

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.
For example, the provider had worked with one person who wanted to continue to manage their medicines independently. Systems were put in place to mitigate any risk to the person, and others living in the home.
We observed staff encouraging people to do as much as they could for themselves, while providing support when needed. Staff respected people's day-to-day choices. People were offered choices about their personal care, meals, daily routines and how they spent their time.
One person said “I spend a lot of time in my room. I am always busy with my work.”
Staff respected people’s preferences in care. One person told us they prefer a shower to a bath and said they can have a shower (with staff support) whenever they want to.
Visitors to the home were welcomed at any time. There were communal areas available for people and their visitors to spend time together. We observed a number of people’s relatives attend the service during our visit. One person said, “My [relative] will visit. I don’t think there are any restrictions.”
 

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 saw staff were quick to respond to call bells, as well as being observant and responsive to people’s requests. People and relatives said staff usually responded quickly when they were needed. One person said “There is a call bell system which I have used. Sometimes they answer straightaway, sometimes not if they are busy.” One relative told us, “The staff have been fine. They respond to [relatives’] buzzer. Absolutely they are responsive.”
 

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 well supported and were able to discuss their work with the management team. Staff took part in regular individual and team meetings. Most staff spoke positively about their jobs and told us they were happy in their work. Staff gave very positive feedback about working in the home; comments included, “Even if I ask for help at 3pm on Sunday, management do their best to support,” “There is flexibility in shifts, it’s a really good team” and “I love working there.” Staff said they would recommend to friends that Brookfield was a good place to work.
The provider had several initiatives to support staff during their employment. These initiatives offered staff discounts to many businesses as well as an employee assistance scheme staff could access for confidential personal and financial assistance if needed. These staff benefits were available via an app on staff phones.