Archived: Brookfield Care Home

We spoke with two relatives. Relatives spoken with expressed satisfaction with the care and service received. One relative said, "This is a fine home. It is a great place. They always make me feel welcome and offer refreshments without question. I think that he/she has one of the best rooms. I have made a number of suggestions for improvements, which the home are implementing bit by bit." Another relative said, "I can't fault it. They do his/her nails, hair and play games. They get all of the residents to participate in games."

"This is the best home out of those that I have tried."

"It's brilliant and the staff are lovely."

"This is a happy place. The staff are all very good."

"They take care of all of her care needs and her medication."

"The food is always good. The gammon was lovely today."

"She is in safe hands."

"Visitors are always made to feel welcome."

During the inspection we asked people if they felt comfortable in speaking to staff to raise a concern, comments made included:

"The manager and staff are all approachable. I wouldn't hesitate to speak to staff if something was wrong."

"I can't grumble about anything, but if I needed to I could speak to the staff."

"The staff talk to me and I talk to them. They always listen."

During the inspection we sat in an area where we could see both staff and people who used the service. We saw that staff treated people with dignity and respect. Staff were attentive and interacted well with both people who used the service and visitors. Staff shared their time between people and when one person called for help the staff were very quick to respond. The home had a lively and friendly atmosphere. There was a plentiful supply of visitors. People were heard chatting and singing throughout the day. On the afternoon of the inspection some people went out with staff on the home's minibus to Stewart Park.

The relative spoken with during the inspection told us that they were happy with the way the home supported his choice to administer medicines to his wife.

Some people who used the service were less able to express their views because of complex needs. For the majority of the inspection visit we sat in the main lounge on the dementia unit. We saw that staff were attentive and interacted well with people who used the service. Two ladies had their nails filed and painted and helped to choose the colour of the nail varnish they wanted. The activity co-ordinator asked one person who used the service if they wanted to go to the shops to get the morning paper. People were offered choice of drinks and asked what they wanted for lunch. We saw that staff interacted with some people more than others. More time was spent with those people who were more able. Those people less able to communicate did not receive the same level of interaction from staff.