Bryony Lodge Nursing Home

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 remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 80 (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 always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. We observed many kind and respectful interactions between people and staff throughout our inspection. People looked happy in the company of staff, a person told us, “If it wasn’t for the lasses I wouldn’t get by.”

Staff clearly knew people well, their likes and dislikes. Staff told us how they supported people. A staff member told us, “I treat all of my service users with dignity and respect at all times.” Staff had a kind and caring approach with people. An external professional told us, “The staff at Bryony are really lovely, I haven't had any negative experience. They seem to be very kind and compassionate towards residents and families and very professional and kind towards visiting professionals too.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. The service supported people to maintain their religious beliefs, including facilitating visits from ministers. People’s rooms were personalised and decorated to in line with their choices.

Staff described how they supported people. A staff member told us, “I encourage independence by supporting individuals to do as much as they can for themselves and offering choices in daily activities such as meals, clothing, routines, and social engagement.”

The provider promoted 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 community links by accessing local venues, individually or as part of a group. People had the opportunity to engage in a range of activities. A dedicated activities co‑ordinator was in post, they were enthusiastic about their role. They worked closely with people and their relatives, using their views to shape and develop activities. An external professional told us, “[Name] activities coordinator helps a lot with this I'd say, she gets everyone involved and spends 1:1 time with residents who prefer to be in their bedrooms. I feel the staff genuinely care.”

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 were attentive to people’s needs, taking time to observe and note any changes. Staff recognised when people expressed discomfort, pain or distress in different ways, including through verbal and non‑verbal cues, and responded appropriately and in a timely manner.

Staff were aware of people’s changing needs and escalated these appropriately. An external professional told us, “Yes, [staff] know people so well that they're aware of small signs of them not being themselves, they're very proactive with monitoring NEWS score and recognising deterioration and seeking assessment wither from myself when I'm at the home or GP.”

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to deliver person-centred care. Leaders at all levels showed a genuine interest in staff wellbeing. Staff told us, “When [the nominated individual] visits they always come and ask how we are and ask if we need anything.”

Staff told us the registered manager encouraged them to take their allocated rest breaks and consulted with staff when creating new staffing rotas. A staff member said, “You can go to [the registered manager] with your problems and they help, moving rotas and sorting things so you can still get to work.”

Staff were recognised and valued through initiatives such as an employee of the month scheme, which helped to promote good practice, boost morale and support a positive workforce.People, relatives and staff were able to nominate staff, recognising them for going above and beyond. Nominated staff received a financial award. One staff member told us, “The money is lovely but it’s so nice to know others recognise what you do, it makes you proud.”