Sternhill Paddock

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to outstanding. This meant services were tailored to meet the needs of individuals and delivered to ensure flexibility, choice and continuity of care.

This service scored 89 (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 making sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in their needs. The service was extremely inclusive of people. There were pictures of people all around the service. This included pictures they had drawn, images of themselves doing activities, pictures with staff members, pictures on holidays and pictures with loved ones. Staff told us more pictures were incorporated in the service due to person’s request that everyone be included and a dedicated picture wall developed which the person undated monthly.

There were no set mealtimes, people could choose if they wanted to eat separately or together and were supported to prepare their own meals, where possible. We observed people cooking and preparing food with staff. People came together on a Sunday and planned a menu for the week ahead. People enjoyed trying new foods that were chosen because they were favourites of other people in the home, this encouraged people to share their likes and dislikes. Staff always promoted people’s independence. For example, when cleaning their bedrooms. People were supported to do their own laundry and other domestic tasks where possible. One person loved to hoover and took pride in being able to keep the home and their personal space, to a standard through this skill staff had supported them to develop.

Positive behaviour support (PBS) plans were highly personalised and collaborative. Each plan was bespoke and tailored to the individual with clear evidence of input from the wider care team. There was recognition of the right support, triggers and de-escalation techniques. Staff demonstrated a clear understanding of each person’s triggers and the most effective de-escalation techniques. This ensured that responses to behaviours were respectful, proactive, and focused on promoting wellbeing and autonomy. The strong person-centred culture meant staff were confident in adapting support to meet changing needs and consistently used positive approaches to reduce distress and avoid restrictive practices.

The registered manager and staff at Sternhill Paddock demonstrated excellent practice in how it delivered integrated, personalised and continuous care. Staff and leaders showed a deep understanding of each person’s long‑term goals, strengths and support needs, and worked collaboratively with external professionals to ensure care was cohesive, aspirational and enabling.

For example, 1 person’s long-term goal was to gain employment. The registered manager took exceptional steps to understand the person’s strengths, interests and motivations. Through consistent observation and person‑centred discussions, the manager identified that the individual had a keen interest in maintenance and repairing items around the home. Rather than viewing this interest as a hobby, the registered manager recognised the potential to form a meaningful development pathway. They worked closely with the maintenance team to create a supported shadowing opportunity where the person could learn practical skills at their own pace. Staff explained that this progression was handled carefully and creatively, ensuring tasks were broken down, demonstrated clearly and reinforced through practice.

Over time, the person developed a significant range of maintenance skills and increased their confidence, sense of responsibility and pride in their work. As their competence grew, the service introduced informal training sessions with the maintenance team, further strengthening their abilities. This led to the individual being employed by the service in a maintenance support role, a remarkable achievement that reflected their commitment and the staff’s exceptional support.

The registered manager demonstrated considerable skill in delivering this opportunity safely and ethically. The person experienced behaviours that at times resulted in physical damage to the home during periods of distress. The manager handled this sensitively to ensure the new employment role was never perceived as a reward for damage, nor a corrective consequence. The person was not asked to repair any damage they had caused. Instead, employment tasks focused on general property maintenance and repairs elsewhere in the home, ensuring the role remained positive, future‑focused and based on ability, not behaviour.

This careful boundary‑setting allowed the person to develop a healthier relationship with their environment, promoting respect for their home while building valuable life and vocational skills. Staff told me that since taking on this role, the person showed greater pride in the home and increased emotional resilience.

This example reflected the service’s deeply embedded culture of promoting independence, aspiration and choice. Care was joined‑up, collaborative and focused on enhancing people’s long‑term opportunities, not just meeting immediate needs. The registered manager’s leadership was central to this success, ensuring continuity of support, cross‑team collaboration and a highly personalised pathway that transformed the person’s confidence and future prospects.

Sternhill Paddock demonstrated outstanding practice in how it provided people with information. Staff consistently went above and beyond to ensure communication was personalised, accessible and truly meaningful. Their commitment to adapting information to each person’s individual needs had a significant and positive impact on people’s wellbeing, confidence and involvement in their own care.

Staff demonstrated exceptional creativity and skill in developing personalised communication tools. For example, staff worked closely with the individual to refine and develop a set of personalised signs that reflected their natural gestures and preferred style of communication. To ensure others could understand and engage with the person effectively, staff then created a personalised communication book. This book included clear descriptions and visual representations of the individual’s signs so that people who were unfamiliar with their communication method, such as visiting professionals, could interact with them confidently and respectfully. This had a transformative impact, enabling the person to express themselves clearly, reducing their frustration and making everyday interactions more accessible.

The registered manager also demonstrated outstanding leadership in ensuring information from external professionals was accessible and supportive. For example, when visits from unfamiliar professionals caused stress, anxiety and an increase in behaviours that challenged, the registered manager proactively requested easy‑read introductions from those professionals. These introductions included photographs, descriptions of roles, and what the visit would involve. Staff used these to prepare people in advance, explaining who was coming to the home and why, using visuals, simple language and communication tools tailored to each person.

This approach significantly reduced people’s anxiety around unfamiliar visitors. This meant people experienced far fewer incidents of distress or behaviours linked to uncertainty. Evidence showed that people were more relaxed, more receptive to professionals entering their home, and able to engage more meaningfully with assessments, reviews and care‑planning discussions than they had been prior to the introduction of this planning method. Professionals fed back that appointments were more productive and better aligned with the person’s needs and wishes. For example, a professional described how this had enabled the person to engage with their meeting and be more involved as their stress and anxieties about visitors had been eased.

Staff within Sternhill Paddock demonstrated excellence in how it listened to and involved people in shaping their daily lives, goals and long‑term aspirations. People were supported to be active partners in their care, and their views genuinely influenced the support they received.

The service had embedded a highly person‑centred approach where each individual had a weekly meeting with staff to discuss the week ahead. These meetings focused on identifying small, achievable goals that contributed to the person’s wider life aspirations. Staff used these sessions to listen carefully, explore the person’s wishes and reflect these in meaningful plans. This approach ensured people felt heard, respected and empowered.

For example, 1 person’s long‑term ambition was to live independently in their own flat. Staff recognised the importance of developing foundational life skills to help the person move toward this aspiration. Through weekly aim‑setting meetings, the person identified smaller, practical goals such as completing regular oral care, practising personal hygiene routines and being supported or prompted to make their bed each morning. These goals were celebrated when achieved, helping build the person’s confidence and sense of progress and independence.

Staff demonstrated exceptional skill in breaking down larger aspirations into manageable steps without losing sight of the person’s overall ambition. They listened to what motivated the person, checked how they were feeling each week and adapted goals sensitively based on their engagement, mood or capacity at the time. This ensured the process remained encouraging rather than overwhelming.

The person reported feeling valued and motivated because they were involved in setting their own aims rather than having goals imposed upon them. The person said, “Staff are amazing, they listen and help me all the time.” Staff recognised and celebrated the person’s achievements, no matter how small, reinforcing their independence and self‑belief. Over time, this approach led to clear progress in the person’s confidence, daily living skills and optimism about their future.

The registered manager supported and demonstrated excellent practices in promoting equality in access. Staff consistently ensured that people had fair and meaningful opportunities to participate in community life and attend medical appoints, regardless of their individual anxieties, abilities or support needs. The culture across the service was one of enabling, not limiting, with staff actively removing barriers so people could access the same opportunities as anyone else.

For example, 1 person who experienced significant anxiety about leaving the home previously had their ability to access meaningful activities in the community limited due to this fear and stress which and had affected their overall confidence. Staff demonstrated exceptional commitment and creativity in supporting the person to overcome these barriers in a personalised, gradual and empowering way.

Staff worked with the individual to develop a step‑by‑step, person‑centred plan tailored to their pace and comfort level. This included beginning with short periods of time in the garden, progressing to brief walks outside, and eventually introducing short car journeys. Staff used reassurance, clear communication and positive reinforcement throughout the process, celebrating progress and adapting plans whenever the person showed signs of distress or hesitation.

The service also ensured practical barriers were removed. Staff with the appropriate driving skills and experience were made available to offer consistent, familiar support during travel. Travel plans were carefully prepared in advance, identifying quiet routes, preferred destinations and potential triggers. This thoughtful approach helped the individual feel safe, understood and in control. Over time, this structured and compassionate support enabled the person to access the community more successfully and with significantly reduced anxiety. Staff reported a noticeable increase in the person’s confidence, reduced behaviours linked to distress, and a greater willingness to participate in meaningful activities outside the home. The person themselves expressed pride in what they had achieved and a sense of independence that had not previously been possible.

The provider had an equality and diversity statement and policy in place, which reflected and reinforced their core values of kindness, commitment and creativity. These values were evident in staff interactions and in the way support was personalised to reduce the risk of unequal outcomes. Staff were encouraged and supported to use their skills confidently and without fear of discrimination, harassment or unfair treatment. This promoted a positive working culture where staff could focus on delivering personalised, empathetic care.

Leaders ensured that equity was not just a policy but an active part of service development. Staff were consulted on the equality and diversity statement and policy and were invited to share their own experiences, perspectives and ideas for improvement. This collaborative approach ensured the policy was meaningful and relevant to daily practice and helped create an environment where Sternhill Paddock remained equitable and inclusive for everyone.

The registered manager supported people to consider and plan for their future needs, even when these conversations were initially difficult. Some people and family members were naturally reluctant to discuss future care arrangements, including changing health needs or long‑term planning. Despite this, the registered manager approached the topic sensitively, respectfully and at the individual’s pace.

Rather than avoiding these discussions, the registered manager revisited them at appropriate times, ensuring they were conducted in a calm, supportive and unpressured way. They used clear, accessible language and adapted their communication to meet each person’s needs. This approach helped reduce anxiety and enabled people and families to engage gradually when they felt more comfortable.

Senior staff routinely checked whether people’s needs, wishes or circumstances had changed. These conversations were documented clearly and showed management remained responsive and proactive even when formal planning was initially declined. This ensured that emerging needs were not overlooked and that people’s preferences could be recorded as soon as they were ready to share them.

The registered manager also ensured that people were not asked to make decisions before they felt prepared. Conversations were spaced appropriately, giving time for reflection. When families remained unsure, the manager explored their concerns sensitively and reassured them that planning was intended to support the person’s wellbeing, not to pre‑empt change unnecessarily.