Brooke House

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant the service was consistently managed and well-led. Leaders and the culture they created promoted high-quality, person-centred 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 had a shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and understanding challenges and the needs of people and their communities. People and their relatives were consulted about their care and care plans; relatives’ input was sought. The registered manager told us how they supported people to attend local church services.

Processes were in place to promote equality and diversity for people and the staff team. We reviewed the provider’s statement of purpose which clearly set out their values. The registered manager told us, “We take account all characteristics and ensure inclusion, there is no discrimination. We advocate around people’s needs and in line with protected characteristics ensuring dignity and respect.”

The provider had inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

People, relatives and staff consistently told us about the positive and caring attitudes of the management team. We observed the registered manager to be supportive to both people and staff. The registered manager talked passionately about ensuring people living in the home were living their best lives and gave examples of how they do this.

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up, and their voice would be heard. The service had not received any complaints. The registered manager was able to confidently describe the process for investigating concerns and sharing the outcomes with relevant people.

People living in the service were asked for their views at regular meetings and the registered manager had an open-door policy. We saw evidence of the registered manager acting on feedback from people following 1 of these meetings. Staff told us they were confident the registered manager would act if they raised any concerns with them. The service had a freedom to speak up champion in place, and a poster was in place to show people who to contact.

One relative told us they could easily speak to the registered manager and in the past the registered manager has responded appropriately when things had been brought to their attention and had worked to resolve it.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them. Staff told us they felt supported to give feedback and were treated equally, free from bullying or harassment. People with protected characteristics felt supported. The provider held regular staff meetings and had recognition awards to engage with and celebrate the staff.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver good quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

Staff understood their roles and responsibilities. Staff and the management team understood the importance of reporting any changes to people’s wellbeing. They kept good records of the support people had received. Governance processes were effective in monitoring and improving the service. During the inspection the provider took immediate action to strengthen their medicine audits to ensure, for example, ‘when required’ medicines protocols would always include the required information.

There were security measures in place to ensure all paper and electronic information was stored safely and securely. The provider submitted information to partner agencies when required.

The provider understood their duty to collaborate and work in partnership, so services worked seamlessly for people. We saw examples of when they had shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The registered manager shared positive feedback they had received from professionals who were involved in the service. Feeback was consistently positive, 1 professional stated, “I think that staff work with a strengths-based approach empowering people to remain as independent as they can in spite of where they live, they do such a good job.”

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice. Leaders spoke passionately about the need for continuous learning to drive improvements for the service. They described a strong desire for continuous improvement and shared their plans to continue improving the service. The registered manager told us about 1 person who raised during a meeting that they wanted a vegetable plot. This was now in place. Work had taken place with people to develop goals and with people’s agreement these were shared with other people living in the home. People were then able to celebrate their achievements with their peers.