Birch Park Care 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.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated 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 100 (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 treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. The registered manager demonstrated examples where they had provided respectful care and treatment to people during the final days of their life. People and relatives all provided positive feedback regarding how staff were kind, caring and promoted their privacy and dignity. One relative told us, “They dress [relative] every morning which gives them a routine and keeps their dignity.” Another relative told us, “There were a lot of issues at the old home, this place is much better. I have peace of mind now. When they are in the room providing personal care, I wait outside and even though they don’t know I am there I can hear them talking to [relative] throughout. They are so kind and respectful.”

Staff told us they had time to spend with people, especially during personal care tasks, and they enjoyed spending time with people. Staff showed they knew people well and had built up strong professional relationships with people showing understanding of their life stories and histories during our observations. Leaders ensured staff maintained high standards of care and treatment as they completed walk arounds every day, observed staff and gained feedback directly from people and colleagues.

Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. Feedback from other professionals included, “Staff are very welcoming and always display professionalism during my visits” and “Staff are caring and respond in a timely manner.”

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. For example, people in the home had different religious backgrounds and beliefs. The registered manager ensured the service had strong links with local churches and priests and was able to ensure regular visits were conducted by people from the faith community.

The activity team robustly documented the events celebrated within the service and had pictures of these events and decorations. This included individual birthday celebrations for people living in the service, celebrating St Patricks day, Easter, Ramadan and Christmas, Bonfire Night, Halloween and many more. The home also had a prayer room which could be utilised by anyone in the home. We saw evidence the home had facilitated anniversary meals for couples who were physically separated due to one persons’ care needs.

We identified some people in the home requested female only care workers to provide personal care. This was documented clearly in the care records and was observed and adhered to by staff.

Following feedback from people on the first floor of the home, the registered manager removed all dementia dolls and prams as people informed the registered manager this was not what they wanted. New plans had been formulated to meet this group of people’s specific needs as it was different to the needs of the demographic of people that was in the service last year.

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

The service had an impressive activity team who ensured there was a vast range of activities to meet everyone’s needs. This included large groups, smaller groups, 1 to 1 session’s and even walking groups accessing local parks and walking trails. People told us they were supported to make choices and had control over their own care and support. They explained how they were given choices of what food they wished to eat, what snacks they wanted, whether they wanted to join in activities, how and when they wanted to received personal care support, and when and where in the home they received visits from family.

Relatives told us, “[Relative] joins in with the activities. At the other home, [relative] wouldn’t come out of their room. Some nights [relative] will have a drink at the bar and it’s like being in a hotel,” and “There are activities every day, and they help [relative] to interact in them. They really make an effort for people.” People were complimentary of the activities on offer, and appreciated having the daily choice of whether they wanted to join in. One person told us, “There is bingo and dancing and artists but, if you choose, you can also just relax and watch the telly.”

We observed a batch of different newspapers were purchased by the home daily and placed around the communal areas for people to help themselves to, and plans were being developed to include a gardening opportunity on the unit where people lived with dementia. Throughout the onsite visit we observed staff offering people choices and allowing them time to make decisions relating to their care and treatment.

The provider was 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. One relative told us, [Relative] started upstairs, but they can’t walk now so they moved [relative] downstairs. They arranged everything and got extra staff in to move things. The staff are very good with [relative].” This meant this person was able to receive the right level of support whilst being in the same environment, minimising stress. The person felt their needs had been considered, making them feel valued. It also meant they had easier access to the garden facilities with family to increase their wellbeing as the rooms have patio doors.

Effective systems were in place to continually monitor and assess people’s current needs. Where needs changed, such as a person requiring more specialised nursing care, consent was gained from people and their relatives to move them to the nursing unit. Similarly, we saw how for some people who lived with dementia, and when their needs increased, they were supported to move onto the dementia care unit. Leaders were able to clearly demonstrate how these assessments were completed with people and relatives and how transitions to new areas of the home were supported by staff and benefitted the person’s needs.

During the onsite assessment we observed people had access to call bells, and these were answered timely. Where people made verbal requests for support, staff responded in a timely manner. Staff on the nursing unit showed a very good understanding of people’s different levels of nursing needs and were able to describe how they supported people safely and responded to their needs even when they were non-verbal. Staff told us, “We get to know the person really well, so when they may not be able to tell us, we are able to assess their needs and understand whether they require pain relief or have an underlying illness.” Care plans were detailed and included information on the non-verbal communication needs of people, along with guidance on how to assess for non-verbal cues and assess for pain in relation to the Barden pain scale. This meant staff were experienced and confident to assess people and recognise their needs and respond timely to minimise pain or discomfort.

Records showed where people required urgent assistance, such as when responding to sudden illness or a fall, staff took appropriate action and gained medical attention efficiently.

The provider had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. Staff listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Where safety concerns were identified, action had been taken, and lessons were learnt to prevent re occurrence. For example, one person was at high risk of falls and partially sighted. Following a review of their monthly falls, it was identified that a Zimmer frame in a different colour would be easier for the person to identify and use. This was supported by and implemented in conjunction with the community physiotherapist team. Once the red zimmer frame was implemented, falls were noted to have reduced. As part of the ongoing monitoring and learning, the service also signed up to the falls review programme which demonstrated their commitment to falls management and safety. As a result, staff were more vigilant around falls and were confident to implement changes and share ideas.