Brook House Care Home

On this page

• Overview
• Shared direction and culture
• Capable, compassionate and inclusive leaders
• Freedom to speak up
• Workforce equality, diversity and inclusion
• Governance, management and sustainability
• Partnerships and communities
• Learning, improvement and innovation

Well-led – this means we looked for evidence that service leadership, management and governance assured high-quality, person-centred care; supported learning and innovation; and promoted an open, fair culture.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to outstanding. This meant service leadership was exceptional and distinctive. Leaders and the culture they created drove and improved high-quality, person-centred 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 had a very clear shared vision, strategy and culture. This was based on transparency, equity, equality and human rights, diversity and inclusion, engagement, and an exceptional understanding of the challenges and the needs of people and their communities.

The provider’s vision and culture for the service were that of kindness, compassion, dignity, respect, independence and person-centred care. This was underpinned by the ethos of the service to deliver excellence through open, honest and person-centred care, being at the heart of the service.

The registered manager recognised people accessing residential care often had increasingly complex physical, mental health and dementia related needs, which required good partnership working with external professionals, as well as a commitment to invest in staff training, including external accreditation.

The registered manager and management team provided high-quality leadership. This had resulted in planned and continuous improvement within the service to facilitate the provision of good quality care and quality of life for people. This had been brought about through investment in the environment, opportunities for staff career progression, enhanced care planning and governance. The willingness to engage, listen and respond to feedback enabled the service to continually adapt, resulting in continuous improvement. Feeback from people, their family members, staff, and the reviewing of records and our observations evidenced the success of this approach.

Staff spoke of a culture of collaboration as communication was open, and of all staff having mutual respect. Staff were encouraged to share ideas around improving the service for the people who use it. Staff said, “We have staff surveys. We are given the chance to make suggestions to make improvements”. One staff said, “From my point of view I don’t think they can improve any more, It’s a lovely place.”

The provider had exceptionally inclusive leaders at all levels who understood the context in which they delivered care, treatment and support and embodied the culture and values of their workforce and organisation. Leaders had the skills, knowledge, experience and credibility to lead effectively. They always did so with integrity, openness and honesty.

The registered manager and management team were highly experienced and had worked at the service for many years. They demonstrated their capacity and capability in delivering the organisation visions. A commitment to the development of staff, through training and career progression, demonstrated the provider’s investment in successive management planning.

The registered manager and management team were consistently praised by people, family members, staff and external professionals. A person told us, “[registered manager] is a good manager and [deputy manager] is very helpful, I can talk to them freely.” A family member told us, “[registered manager] is a great manager, if I need to ask questions, they’re very friendly and efficient in answering them.” An external professional said, “The management is exemplary, never to busy, always grateful for our advice and support.”

Staff felt there was a visible managerial presence throughout the service. Staff consistently reflected upon how the deputy managers led by example, through working alongside staff in the delivery of care. Staff spoke of a positive rapport with the management team. A member of staff said, “It is the best service to work for. I cannot fault the place. I am very passionate about working here.”

The provider fostered a positive culture where people felt they could speak up and their voice would be heard.

Staff were aware of the provider’s policies and procedures which supported them to raise any issues relating to poor practice, concerns and complaints. Staff were aware of freedom to speak up and said they were confident to raise any issues if, and when they arose.

The registered manager referred to the open and honest culture at the service, where anyone with concerns were encouraged to speak up. Staff were made aware of the provider’s whistle-blower policy, and staff lanyards included a whistleblowing definition, along with telephone numbers for external agencies.

The provider valued diversity in their workforce. They worked towards an inclusive and fair culture by improving equality and equity for people who worked for them.

The provider’s policies and procedures supported equality, diversity and inclusion in the workforce. The registered manager understood their responsibilities in line with the Equality Act 2010 and its implications for employees and of their role in upholding its principles, including the recruitment of staff.

Governance systems enabled the provider and registered manager to monitor for potential discrimination, bullying and harassment, through regular contact with staff, for example, supervisions, well-being meetings and staff meetings. An open-door policy and culture of listening and respecting each other provided an environment conducive to speaking out.

The registered manager provided an example of reasonable workplace adjustments in response to staff needs. These included the provision of a compatible headset to enable a member of staff to access communication via the internal walkie-talkie system. A further example was providing a dedicated area for the storage and ingestion of food for a member of staff with an allergy, further supported by staff having training on the use of emergency medicine.

The provider had clear responsibilities, roles, systems of accountability and good governance. They used these to manage and deliver high-quality, sustainable care, treatment and support. They always acted on the best information about risk, performance and outcomes, and shared this securely with others when appropriate.

The provider had invested in strengthening systems and processes that assessed, reviewed, and monitored quality and safety. Governance procedures were robust, providing clear visibility of performance, which facilitated effective action where improvements were identified. These systems supported continuous learning, ensured risks were well managed, and helped maintain consistent high standards across the service.

The provider had embedded and sustained effective procedures that continually monitored the effectiveness of the service. This included registered managers from other services within the provider’s portfolio undertaking an audit of Brook House Care Home. Regular audits, spots checks, and review of care records were carried out. In addition, external organisations were commissioned by the provider to undertake an independent audit in some key areas, which included medicines and health and safety. The registered manager used these findings to drive learning, share best practice, and implement changes which enhanced people’s safety, health and welfare, and experience of care. This pro-active approach meant the service continually evolved, remained responsive to people’s needs and delivered good quality, person-centred care.

An annual quality monitoring report provided an overview of the service, including a summary of the feedback received from people, family members and staff through questionnaires and meetings, along with information as to planned changes.

The provider regularly reviewed new technologies, investing in electronic systems for care planning and medicine, monitoring systems to support people’s safety, call-bell and fire systems. In addition, a new minibus had been purchased, enabling people to frequently access the community, engaging in outings and meaningful activities outside of the service.

External professionals spoke positively of the quality of care provided, the registered manager and management team. A comment we received was the leadership and management of the service was “Clear and respected.”

Staff retention was good, supported by strong leadership, good quality training, and a culture where staff felt valued.

The provider clearly understood and carried out their duty to collaborate and worked in partnership, and services worked seamlessly for people. They always shared information and learning with partners and collaborated for improvement.

The commitment of staff in supporting and encouraging people to be active participants within their local community, had a significant and positive impact on their wellbeing. The diversity and frequency of activities, enabled people to stay connected, participate in community life, and maintain relationships.

Brook House Care Home hosted events throughout the year, inviting people from the local community, family and friends to join in, which included an Easter Egg hunt for children, annual Summer Fete, Bonfire Night celebrations and dementia walks to raise money for charities.

People attended local school productions and sports day, participated at events held at the Church, including religious services, and community venues which provided exercise and well-being groups, designed for older people were well attended.For example, people attended local school productions and sports days, attended the local church. Brook House hosted Easter egg hunts for local children, and children from the local school visited each month to read to people and play games. Local community resources providing exercise and well-being groups, designed for older people were also regularly attended.

The service had supported students from local schools with ‘work experience’ and are hoping to support local schools to support young people in undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

The registered manager and staff team had developed excellent relationships within the local community. The service was praised for their care and the positive impact on people. People’s care records clearly demonstrated how responsive staff were to changes in individuals’ care needs, showing both proactive monitoring and timely reactive actions

The registered manager and developed good working relationships with external professionals, including health care professionals, who spoke well of the quality of care provided by the service, and the commitment of staff in responding to and meeting people’s needs through their pro-active monitoring or people’s needs.

Assessments as to the quality and safety of care undertaken by stakeholders had found people received good quality and safe care. This was evidenced by reports shared with the Care Quality Commission.

The provider focused on continuous learning, innovation and improvement across the organisation and local system. They encouraged creative ways of delivering equality of experience, outcome and quality of life for people. They actively contributed to safe, effective practice and research.

There was commitment by the provider, registered manager and management team to continually learn and invest. An example of this was their attained the Gold Standard Framework for End-of-Life Care. The service had been recognised by the ‘Starts of Social Care Awards’ for care homes, the most recent being as a finalist in 2024.

People’s reflections of the activities they took part in were documented. Where people were unable to share their views, then staff documented the person’s reactions, i.e. laughing or smiling, and supported by photographs as reminder for the person, as well as to share with family members. This enabled the staff to re-visit activities which people found enjoyable.

People and family members were encouraged to share their ideas evidenced by the outcome of questionnaires and the minutes of meetings.

Systems and processes to monitor the quality and safety of the service, along with an open and learning culture, enabled the management team to continually drive improvement and make changes to improve.