Brockholes Brow - Preston

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

Improvements had been made. People were supported by staff who were caring and respectful and promoted people’s human rights. Care records were person centred and written in a respectful way that placed the person at the centre of their care. People were involved in decision making and were able to shape their care, lives and the environment. Staff actively supported people in following their own interests and forming friendships and relationships.

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.

People experienced individualised care from staff who knew people well. People were supported to follow their own areas of interest. A relative told us how their loved one was enabled to follow their own interests and praised the staff for knowing their relative so well.

Staff spoke passionately about the support they delivered to people. One staff member told us, “I get to teach through sign. I describe this place as a touch of magic, you see the sparkle in their eyes.” Staff were proud of the support they had given people to become independent. Staff had a good understanding of the importance of treating people with respect and of maintaining their privacy and dignity. Staff gave numerous examples of how they ensured people’s privacy and dignity was maintained.

External health and social care professionals raised no concerns with the care provided at Brock Holes Brow – Preston.

We observed staff communicating with people and this was well received by people using the service. Staff were respectful and it was clear that people had positive relationships with staff. People were relaxed and smiling and approached staff without hesitation. We observed staff waiting for permission to enter people’s private rooms prior to entering. In one house a communal café was attached to the lounge. This was often accessed through walking through the lounge. When in the café the glass door allowed people to watch people in their lounge which impacted on their privacy. Prior to the inspection concluding, senior management restricted access to the café from the lounge. The registered manager and nominated individual told us they would have a fire retardent blind fitted to maintain people's privacy.

People experienced individualised care from staff who knew people well. People were supported to follow their own areas of interest. A relative told us how their loved one was enabled to follow their own interests and praised the staff for knowing their relative so well.

Staff told us they valued people at the service and they felt privileged to support them. They told us they wanted to support people to live as independently as possible and to be free from discrimination. This was echoed by the nominated individual and the registered manager, they spoke passionately about breaking down barriers and ensuring people were treated with equally and with respect.

People’s cultural and personal needs were central to the care and support offered by staff. We observed staff supporting people with clothing that was important to them and communicating in a way they could understand. People were able to personalise their rooms with items that held value for them and reflected their individuality and personalities.

Staff received induction and ongoing training the ensure people’s communication needs were met. The registered manager and nominated individual had sought to recruit deaf staff to ensure positive outcomes for people and deaf staff. One staff member told us the benefits of having other deaf staff. They said, “To have someone deaf to talk with and explain things in BSL was fantastic.” Care records contained information that supported people’s individuality. This enabled staff to understand people’s hope, wishes and needs and deliver care and support to meet these.

People were encouraged and supported to do as much as they could for themselves, to maintain and develop their independent living skills. People were encouraged to shape their environment. Gardens were being developed as people had asked to grow vegetables to use when cooking. A relative shared how their family member was supported to maintain their independence and said staff knew their family member well.

The provider told us staff had to commit to completing level 1 and level 2 BSL as part of their role. This would promote effective communication and empower people being supported. Staff understood the need to support people’s individual communication methods and told us they understood how essential this was to promote and support people’s rights.

We saw people were supported to understand their rights by using different ways to communicate. The provider was committed to using additional interpreters alongside contracted staff who signed as part of nationally identified best practice. People had access to activities to promote and support their independence, health and wellbeing. The provider had two cars that enabled people to access their local community. People were also supported, if required, with their internet shopping.

Staff were contractually obliged to complete training in BSL as part of their role. This would promote effective communication and empower people being supported. Staff understood the need to support people’s individual communication methods and told us they understood how essential this was to promote and support people’s rights. Completion of the training was monitored by the nominated individual and registered manager. Additional training was provided to enable staff to acquire this skill.

People were supported when they requested or needed this. Care records showed people were given help and support when they needed it, in a way that met their needs and wishes.

People were supported to stay healthy and well. Care plans detailed people’s health care needs and conditions and the action staff needed to take to help them stay well. Records showed staff ensured people routinely attended scheduled health care appointments and had regular check-ups with a range of community health and social care professionals. Emergency health advice was sought quickly when this was required.

We observed staff supporting people swiftly and with kindness if they needed help or support. Staff demonstrated good awareness of peoples personal, health and social care conditions and how to respond to meet people’s immediate needs and prevent them becoming distressed or unwell, emotionally and physically.

Staff told us the management team supported them, their development and they felt proud coming into work. People were supported by staff who felt valued by their peers and managers, and said they were able to contribute to decision making. One staff member told us, “[Chief executive officer] is doing a fantastic job.” A further staff member commented, “I’m very confident in the manager, so much has changed and it’s all for the better.” Staff were supported by a management team that considered their wellbeing so they could deliver person centred care. The registered manager and nominated individual told us they had introduced a range of staff benefits to promote staff well being and retain staff. Staff told us they could access subsidised dental care, health care, two well-being days a year, and were paid to complete online training when at home. Staff told us the healthcare enabled them to access professional advice and in addition, they could use the well-being days in the event of difficult personal circumstances. This supported them to maintain their well-being and when at work, concentrate on delivering individualised care which was delivered by a consistent team of staff. Discussion with the registered manager confirmed that the range of benefits supported staff retention and helped ensure a consistent team of staff were available to support people. In addition, it promoted staff well-being and helped demonstrate the provider valued staff.

Policies and procedures supported the health and wellbeing of staff. There was clear guidance and practical support to empower staff to maintain their individual health. This included policies to support women experiencing the menopause, flexible working, subsidised healthcare, complementary therapies, and health promotion. In addition, staff could access virtual doctor appointments and 24 hour access to health and stress management helplines, at no cost to them. The provider had also supported a staff member to complete a training course to become a mental health first aider and further staff were being trained. This would enable staff to access information about mental health and the resources available to them if they were experiencing poor mental health. It also helped to reduce stigma and promoted positive mental health in the service.