Bracebridge Court

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 75 (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.

People said staff were kind and respectful. One person said, “They are always nice and chat with me. Everything seems fine they don’t seem to rush at all.” Another person told us, “I’ve nothing bad to say about the staff [They are] always very polite and they are always so nice to me it makes a big difference to needing to live here.”

Staff spoke to us about people in a respectful way. In their conversations with us, staff demonstrated empathy and compassion for the people they supported. One staff member told us, “The residents are diamonds. It is the feel-good factor, knowing you have done something for someone else who can't do it for themselves." Another member of staff told us they sent postcards to each person living in the home whenever they went on holiday. They described the pleasure people had in receiving the handwritten postcards. One person had recently moved into the home. We saw a staff member offering physical and verbal reassurance to them.

One member of staff described the emotional difficulties some relatives had when their family members had a dementia diagnosis. They explained, “We have had a lot of support from our dementia manager to help families understand and how they can deal with things. We try and think of ways they can bring back memories, reminiscing about the past.”

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

Staff respected people’s histories, experiences, likes and dislikes. One staff member told us how they looked at people’s photographs so they could understand, “how they dressed, how they viewed themselves and who they are as a person”. They went on to say, “I also talk to the residents to find out what their hobbies were and use that information to make their lives more comfortable and make them feel more secure." Some people’s pastimes included gardening and staff helped people access outdoor space and to be involved in garden related activities. One person said, “We have lots of activities, I like the physical ones, they do them 3 times a week. I’ve been out twice recently with the home to a garden centre and my daughter visits me twice a week when she can.”

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 offered daily opportunities for meaningful engagement in activities and social engagement. This included exercise sessions, cooking activities, arts and crafts, singing and board games. People were supported to maintain hobbies and interests to support their wellbeing. One staff member told us, “We like to concentrate on what they can do now rather than what they can't do and if it is about adapting something so they can still do it, we will do that."

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.

People and relatives told us staff were available and responsive if they needed any support. People described activities and interests that they enjoyed, as well as getting on well with each other and the staff. People’s choices and wishes were respected which meant people got to do and experience those things that mattered to them.

Relatives shared examples with us where external health advice had been sought with minimal delays. Any changes to medicines were actioned and timely referrals to GP and district nurses helped maintain people’s overall health and welfare.

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

Staff told us they felt supported at work. One staff member told us staff were supported through occupational health to return to work after lengthy periods of absence. Another staff member described the reasonable adjustments implemented to support them in their role.However, staff were not aware of any formal processes to support their wellbeing such as access to healthcare or mental health support.