Bramwell

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 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 service and staff were 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.

Without exception, all family members spoke incredibly positively about the whole staff team. One family member told us, “They have shown [loved one] lots of patience and reassurance that she is safe there and they sit with her, over time she has come round that she is there to stay and always has a smile on her face.” Another said, “For me the care she received is excellent and I think they should be outstanding. I have faith it is safe care in a kind compassionate way, she loves her carer and I see the interactions, it is the way they speak; she is happy well cared for.” Another said, “They are so caring, kind, staff not at all rushed, very relaxed unit, no pressure, care is very individualised.”

People told us how caring the staff were that supported them, saying “Staff are very nice, very kind,” and “very helpful staff and time to speak to you.”

We observed dignified, compassionate and joyous interactions between staff and people, including staff members singing with people whilst supporting them.

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

Everyone living at the service had their own keyworker and information about people’s preferences and in-depth life stories were recorded in detail, including any cultural or religious needs. These were available for all staff to really get to know people as individuals, with summaries in each room.

Family all told us how well staff knew people saying, “We take him out for coffee and when we go back in everybody chats with him, that impresses me.” Another said, “[Named loved one] was a busy person and was on a switch board so they let her sit on reception, and they make her feel welcome and feel part of it.”

Family also described how staff supported communication through a caring approach, they said, “They come down to her level, nearly on the floor, talk to her good ear, take her hand and give her a tactile gentle approach, the care they show is wonderful.”

At the time of the assessment there was a couple living at the home, they had been supported to have one bedroom and one living area to spend their time in together. Their family member told us, “Staff are respectful and knock if the door is closed, they recognise special wedding anniversaries do special dinners.”

Staff all spoke about people in an individualised and compassionate way, saying “We value resident’s choices, check their life history to provide activities and outdoor sessions that suits every individual.” We saw evidence of themed events and activities that truly meant something to individuals, whether that be related to their previous career or a dream they had.

The service was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff had a strong focus on empowering people to be independent and giving the space and time for people to have choice and control over their daily lives. We saw staff interactions with people promoting choice and independence. At lunchtime people were shown the actual dishes to choose from, these visual cues helped people to make their own choice.

Staff said, “We encourage independence and provide the time and support needed for them to complete tasks safely.” This was confirmed by our observations and family members, a family member said, “Staff very patient, not condescending. They make themselves heard, give a lot of stimulation and do an awful lot of activities with them and try and make it homely.”

Staff said “I support residents’ independence by encouraging them to take part in activities at their own pace, offering guidance rather than doing tasks for them, and adapting activities to match their abilities. I make time to empower them to manage as much as possible for themselves, learn their life history and know their likes and dislikes. It will help build confidence, maintain skills, and promote well-being.”

The service provided a wide range of activities that people could choose to participate in, we saw evidence of, and family confirmed, that people were supported to go out into the community regularly. A family member said, “A weekly timetable of activities is emailed to us and gives us something to talk to him about; dancing, tai chi, exercises most mornings, do craft, baking and they encourage him, therapy dog and therapy donkey which went up in the lift to see a lady in bed. The fire brigade was in today, and they’ve been to the fire station, garden centres, parties, a meal on a riverboat. Absolutely enough to do if you want to do it.”

Staff were exceptional in how they 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.

We saw staff were extremely observant and responded to people promptly and in a proactive way. For example, on multiple occasions we observed staff discreetly moving frames into better positions in a dignified way whilst they were walking down corridors to prevent any incidents.

A family member told us, “Staff are calming and good at settling [named loved one] down.” Staff said “What I have learnt is that each resident should be talked to the way he/ she prefers, hence I adapt my communication way to suit every individual, for example, using more gestures than words, speaking loudly, whispering, talking slowly, using simple short sentences. I allow the resident to take their time to respond to me, I patiently wait for them to process the response with passion and love.”

The registered manager cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff described to us flexible working arrangements to enable them to have a good work life balance, they told us how the registered manager respected and accommodated their religious and health needs as well as their personal caring responsibilities.

One member of staff told us how they had been overwhelmed when starting at the service due to supporting people living with dementia, however management supported them with appropriate training and now they are a dementia champion and carry out peer training on dementia.

Staff said, “The service supports my wellbeing with the different training, supervisions and monitoring, they have given me both formal and informal. This has made me improve daily in my way of working. If there is something I need help with, I approach my managers with no problems at all and get the support immediately. Even my personal issues I confide in the manager she helps me.”