Ashbrook House

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 service 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 with kindness and respect.

People were treated well by staff who worked at the care home. We received only positive comments about the managers and staff from people living in the care home and their relatives. People typically descried staff were caring and kind. Comments included, “I like the people who look after me here. They are all nice to me”, “Staff always knock on my bedroom door and ask me if they can come in” and “The staff treat [name of family member] with so much compassion and care.” People looked at ease and comfortable in the presence of staff. Managers and staff treat people with compassion, dignity and respect. We observed staff interactions throughout our site visits were characterised by warmth and kindness. Staff were always attentive and reassuring to people and listened to what they had to say. For example, we observed staff frequently sit and socially engage and join in activities with people relaxing in the main communal areas. This indicated staff had built trusting and valued relationships with people living in the care home. Managers and staff also spoke about people they supported in a respectful and positive manner.

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.

People received care and support from staff according to their individually assessed needs and wishes. People told us staff treated them or their family member as individuals and understood what their specific personal care needs, preferences and daily routines were. Care plans were personalised and contained detailed information about people’s strengths, likes and dislikes, spiritual and cultural needs, and how they preferred staff to meet their personal care and support needs and wishes. One person told us, “The staff know where my family is from and that I like to eat Jamaican style food which they sometimes make for me.” An external care professional added, “Carers are dedicated to supporting residents with areas that are important to the residents, such as celebrating important religious events.” Staff knew how to protect people from discriminatory behaviours and practices.

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People told us staff supported them to be as independent as they could and wanted to be and to have as much choice and control over their lives as possible. One person told us, “I can partly wash and dress myself. The staff are very good at letting me do those things on my own. I can also choose what clothes I wear, what I eat and the activities I do.” A relative added, “Staff enable [name of family member] to live independently as they can. I know staff encourage him to vacuum and tidy his room and do some aspects of his personal care with a bit of support from staff, such as shaving. Staff also take him shopping for food and clothes so he can choose what he likes to eat and wear.” Managers and staff confirmed they respected people’s choices and supported them to make informed decisions about the care and support they received. One member of staff told us, “I encourage people to choose the clothes they wear, the food they eat and social activities they participate in every day, and as a staff team we respect those decisions.”

Staff told us care plans gave them a good overview of people’s differing dependency levels, so they knew exactly what people were willing and capable of doing safely for themselves, and what tasks they would need additional support with. Staff told us they actively encouraged people they supported to maintain and develop their independent living skills do. One member of staff said, “I regularly encourage people who are willing and able to, to dress themselves, tidy their bedroom, and come food shopping with us.” Another added, “I always hand one person I help with their personal care a flannel and a toothbrush because I know they can wash their face and brush their teeth with only minimal support from me.” People moved freely around the care home and spent their time as they wished, with no unnecessary restrictions. We observed plate guards and suitably adapted crockery and utensils were used by staff at mealtimes to enable people to eat independently without the need for any staff assistance.

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.

Staff supported people to access external health and medical care services as and when required. Staff were aware of people’s health care needs and how to respond to any immediate health care emergencies to minimise the risk of people becoming distressed or unwell, emotionally and/or physically.

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 the managers and their fellow co-workers cared about each other’s wellbeing and had created a positive working environment for everyone to work in. Staff told us they felt happy and safe at work. One member of staff said, “This is a lovely place to work. There’s just a really nice family vibe about the care home. It does feel like we’re one big happy family here.” Managers routinely used individual and group meetings to enquire about staffs’ wellbeing.