Sandstone 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. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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 95 (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.

Everyone we spoke with gave overwhelmingly positive feedback about the staff and the service. People and their relatives spoke exceptionally highly of the service and consistently described staff as amazing, excellent, kind and caring. Feedback about the quality of relationships between staff and people was also extremely positive. One relative told us, "Every member of staff is lovely," while another said, "Staff know what they are doing and are so kind, patient and helpful."

People and relatives spoke about the respect they were shown by staff. They described feeling respected because of the way staff spoke with them, how staff supported them with personal care and how staff made sure they felt involved in what was happening. When we asked 1 person how staff made them feel respected, they told us, “The kindness they show me.”

Throughout our assessment, we observed warm, respectful and meaningful interactions between staff and people. Staff treated people with dignity, took time to understand their individual preferences and supported them in a way which promoted their wellbeing, independence and comfort. People appeared relaxed and at ease in the presence of staff and spoke about them with genuine affection and trust.

The positive feedback received, together with our observations, demonstrated a strong caring culture where people were treated with kindness, compassion and respect. Relationships between people and staff were characterised by warmth, patience and a genuine commitment to person-centred care.
 

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People experienced exceptionally personalised care because staff understood them as individuals rather than focusing solely on their care needs. The registered manager and staff talked with people and their families to understand their life stories, identities, strengths and what mattered most to them, and translated this knowledge into meaningful everyday experiences. This included enabling one person to maintain their relationship with their beloved dog and adapting how staff communicated with one person by using familiar terminology which helped them express themselves and engage with staff.

People had regained valued roles, confidence and a sense of purpose. For example, by recognising one person’s previous life story and experiences, staff supported them to carry out security checks around the home at night, provided an exercise area and enabled them to lead exercise classes for staff and other people in the home. These opportunities enabled the person to use their strengths, contribute to the community within the home and regain an important sense of identity. This person progressed to the point where they were able to return home. The registered manager told us, “At Sandstone Brook, we do not simply provide care. We look beyond the care plan, discover what matters most to each individual and strive to make those things possible.”

Interactions were person-centred, respectful and considered each person’s support needs. For example, when supporting a person to transfer into their wheelchair for lunch, staff noticed the person was asleep. They gently woke them, explained what they were doing and lowered themselves to the person's eye level before offering support. This ensured the person was involved in the interaction and treated with dignity and respect.

Staff supported people to maintain their personal, social and religious preferences and demonstrated a genuine commitment to understanding what mattered most to them. People’s care plans contained information on their life history, such as family, past employment and hobbies. There was also a focus on what was important to people now, for example gaining mobility back, staying active and being able to go out with friends.
 

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 maintain their independence, exercise choice and have control over their daily lives. People spoke positively about the support they received to achieve their personal goals and continue activities which were important to them. One person told us, “They know I want to walk more and be active, and they help me to do that.” Another person said, “They [staff] are so kind to me and gentle and think about my sight loss and make sure I can join in things.”

People were encouraged and enabled to remain connected to their interests, friendships and local community. One person told us, “They [staff] are good and accommodating. I went out with friends, and they waited for me when I came back. It is important to me that I can continue to go out.” We saw the home had a community feel to it with families, staff and visitors contributing to this. The home’s community café was busy throughout the day and used as the hub for activities and for people to sit with their families. This demonstrated staff understood what mattered to people and supported them to live as independently as possible while maintaining choice and control over their lives.

People were empowered to retain a meaningful sense of purpose. People held “resident manager” roles within the home which reflected their individual skills, interests and life experiences. These roles included a resident ambassador, café support manager and activities musical entertainment support manager. For example, one person was a former restaurant owner and chef and now provided feedback to the catering team as the catering hospitality support manager. Another person with a passion for gardening worked alongside the activities team to support planting around the home. The registered manager said, “People can share skills developed over a lifetime and continue doing things that are meaningful to them.” This enabled people to use their strengths, have meaningful responsibilities and actively contribute to life within the home.

People and relatives told us they could see each other whenever they wanted and were made to feel welcome within the home. We did receive a few comments about people not being able to exit the units independently when the doors were shut. We fed this back to the registered manager who told us they would consider this feedback.
 

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 responded promptly to people's needs and provided support in a caring, compassionate and respectful way. However, we observed one interaction where a staff member promptly intervened when a person started to become frustrated with staff because their communication needs were not being met in line with their care plan. Although this was not the preferred experience for the person, staff responded promptly to minimise further distress. Following our feedback, the registered manager took action to reinforce the person's communication needs with the staff team and introduced additional support from more experienced staff to coach colleagues and promote consistent, person-centred practice.

Staff were attentive to people's comfort, wellbeing and safety, and responded quickly when support was requested. Where people required assistance, this was provided discreetly and in a manner which promoted their dignity. Staff demonstrated a good understanding of people's individual needs and preferences, enabling them to respond appropriately when circumstances changed. People appeared comfortable approaching staff for support and received reassurance and assistance when needed.
 

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.

Staff spoke positively about working at the service and described a supportive culture where their wellbeing was valued. One staff member told us managers at the home, “had a relaxed attitude”. They went on to tell us, “This makes me feel comfortable if I have to raise anything.” Staff told us they felt listened to, supported by managers and able to raise concerns or seek help when needed. This positive culture contributed to high levels of staff wellbeing and helped create a stable workforce for people receiving care. One staff member told us they raised a concern about the weight of a piece of equipment they were required to use. In response, the registered manager purchased lighter equipment to reduce the physical demands of the task and improve staff safety. This practical action helped to support staff to carry out their role safely which in turn helped to enable improved wellbeing.

The provider had developed a range of initiatives to promote workforce wellbeing and recognise staff contributions. These included access to external mental health support, an employee assistance programme, staff benefits and discounts, paid breaks, enhanced overtime payments, birthday leave and staff recognition schemes. These initiatives demonstrated a commitment to supporting staff both professionally and personally.

The registered manager had also responded proactively to the emotional impact of staff’s roles. The registered manager had introduced wellbeing support groups, including mental health and menopause support, these had been arranged in part due to a number of deaths of people who used the service. This provided staff with opportunities to share experiences, access guidance and support one another. Staff valued these opportunities and described an open and supportive approach from leaders.