Carricks Brook

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 changed to Outstanding.

This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (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 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 who were able told us they were happy at the home. One person told us they were “privileged” to live there. People’s relatives spoke extremely highly of the home. One relative said, “I don’t have enough superlatives to describe how amazing this place is.” Another relative told us, “We are so grateful [name] is here. We can’t speak about them highly enough. They go above and beyond in what they do.” Relatives spoke about the impact of their loved one living at the home had on them. One relative told us, “Everybody is amazing, a weight has been lifted off my shoulders since he has moved into the home.” Another relative spoke about the improvements to their loved one’s life, where he had been able to ‘heal and flourish’ and what he had achieved with the care and support of staff. They told us how previously their loved one needed support of staff when spending time at the family home. However, with the kind and consistent support of staff this was no longer needed. He was now able to spend a significant amount of time visiting family, and this included trips out and short breaks. The relative said, said, “The wonderful thing is, with the right care, support, professionalism and encouragement we can now catch up on a lost decade of his life.”

Relatives spoke about staff kindness to people and to themselves. Relatives told us how staff ensured they maintained contact with their loved ones. They told us people were supported to regularly return home for family visits. These visits were planned as part of the person’s routine and regularly reviewed to ensure they still met the person’s needs. One relative told us, “They bring [name] to see me as planned and when I visit the home they come and collect me, take me there and bring me home.” Another relative told us about the extra measures staff were going to, to ensure their loved one was able to spend time at home over Christmas. The relative said, “When I questioned the extra work staff just said it is what [name] needs at the moment.” This relative added “They are kind, just so kind.”

Relatives also shared observations of their loved ones at the home that demonstrated the care and kindness of staff. One relative said, “I’ve seen him snuggled up on the sofa with staff, there’s no fear, they are all completely relaxed.” Another relative told us, “When I see [name] and [staff], they’re just like two silly blokes having a laugh together.”

We observed staff interactions with staff were caring and respectful but also demonstrated a depth of warmth and appropriate friendship between them all. Staff spoke about people with real compassion and affection. People approached staff easily, they instigated conversations and appeared comfortable in the company of staff. When uncertain, people looked to staff for reassurance. All relatives and staff we spoke with commented on the strong bond and feeling of ‘family’ at the home.

Staff knew people very well and understood the care and support they needed. People’s needs were well reflected in their care plans.

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 were supported in a way that met their needs and demonstrated how well staff knew each person. Relatives told us their loved ones were treated as individuals by staff who knew them well. One relative said, “They know him really well.” Another relative told us that because staff knew their loved one well and supported them as an individual there had been a significant reduction in the number of incidents related to distressed behaviour. They told us this had a positive impact on their loved one’s life.

People’s support needs were well managed. Staff took into account people’s individual life choices, preferences and how previous experiences may impact on them now. This information was used to develop care plans and PBS plans. For example, some people were fearful of dogs, there was information in their care plans how this may affect them and guidance of how to provide appropriate support.

Staff were able to tell us about people’s individual care and support needs. They spoke about people as individuals and were able to tell us about their interests and families. Staff told us they understood it took time to get to know people fully and they were supported to do this. One staff member said, “Just because I know how to support [name] with a shower doesn’t mean I know how to support him when we go out.” One relative told us about a staff member. They said, “[Name] thinks outside the box, they observe how other staff interact with him and support them as well.”

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 were supported to make choices and maintain and develop their independence. Family members told us how their loved one’s independence had developed since they had started living at the home. One relative told us, “The changes are almost a miracle.”

Staff were exceptional in seeing the potential in people and used this to actively promote independence. Staff had identified a person’s interest in cooking and supported them to assist in the kitchen. They had worked with staff and the chef. They had completed relevant college courses and now supported the chef in their day-to-day work at the home. This person was now also in paid employment for a few hours each week.

Another person was supported to volunteer locally, without support from staff. We read feedback from this person which said they had attended a Christmas party at their workplace, without parents or staff and, “This was the best day of their life.”

One person raised concerns to a staff member about another person who lived at the home. The staff member discussed this with the person. They then encouraged the person to write down their concerns. The staff member and the person then reviewed the concerns and together worked on a plan about what the person would do next time if the same situation arose. This promoted the person’s independence and gave them control over managing future similar situations.

Staff told us, and we observed, how they promoted and encouraged each person’s independence. Staff acknowledged the importance of promoting and maintaining people’s independence. One staff member said, “I could make someone’s breakfast in 5 minutes, it will take them 25 minutes to do it themselves. But that is what we are there for and the sense of satisfaction and achievement you see in people is worth it.”

People were given choices about how they spent their day, what time they got up, what they ate and what they wanted to do each day. Most people had daily planners which they had developed with staff. If they did not wish to do what was on the planner, then they were able to make changes. However, for some people, routines were important. Staff explained that by following people’s routines this promoted their independence. Changing a routine could cause some people distress. Within routines people were able to make choices. Staff gave us the example of one person, who as soon as they were up liked to have their breakfast and go out. Within this routine the person was still able to make choices about what they ate and where they went. People’s choices and routines were reflected within their care plans.

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.

Relatives told us staff knew their loved ones well and understood how to provide the support they needed. Staff understood people and how to respond to immediate needs. This included knowledge of how people’s well-being and health may change throughout the day and the appropriate support they should provide. This included what people may say and changes within vocalisations or behaviours that may indicate distress or pain.

For some people immediate support meant they followed clear routines. If these were not followed people may become distressed. Staff told us about one person who, as soon as they were up and dressed, needed to follow their routine to avoid distress. Staff said, “As soon as [name] is up, we know what we have to do, we cannot change what we are going to do.”

We saw staff were vigilant in their observations of people. They were alert to any changes and immediately offered support or redirected the person to minimise any risk of distress.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Every staff member we spoke with spoke very positively about working at the home, the management team, their colleagues and people they supported. One staff member said, “I enjoy it, it’s lovely, it’s fantastic, it’s a positive vibe.” All staff spoke highly about the support they received. They told us they received regular supervision. They were able to discuss any concerns openly and in confidence, this included work related and personal concerns. One staff member told us, “If you make a mistake, you will be told about it but in a supportive way that will help you to improve. It makes you feel more confident.” The provider had identified services that may offer to support to staff in their personal lives. This information was available for staff and displayed in the wellness room.

Staff told us the registered manager and whole staff team were approachable. One staff member said, “The manager is approachable, in fact every staff member is approachable, friendly and helpful. Following any incident staff received a de-brief to ensure they were personally not harmed in any way. Staff told us their well-being was always considered and concerns addressed in addition to any lessons learned from an incident. The registered manager told us they recognised trauma from managing incidents of distress was just as likely for staff as it was for people. They supported the mental health of the staff team, through de-briefs and regular supervisions.

The provider was aware of the importance of supporting staff well-being and ensuring staff felt valued. They acknowledged staff were at work for a long time and needed to be looked after and supported during this time. There was a staff wellness room, where staff could spend time away from the service during their breaks. For a nominal cost staff were able to have all their meals and drinks provided while at work. Staff told us this was appreciated; it helped them provide person centred care. For example, on a trip out when people were taking a packed lunch staff could also have packed lunch. This meant that people and staff could enjoy their lunch together.

The provider recognised staff development, their commitment to people and the service. Staff were nominated each year for a county wide award. At the time of the inspection a staff member had become a finalist and won an award.

The registered manager told us about the support they provided to staff. However, they also told us about they felt supported by the staff team. They said, staff would ask about their welfare and ensure the management team were not in need of support themselves.

Following a recent bereavement at the service staff were seen to go over and above what was expected to ensure people and their colleagues were well supported. This was immediately acknowledged by the provider and staff were rewarded for their commitment and kindness.