Brook House

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

People’s care was person-centred and their care plans reflected their individual needs and preferences. People and those important to them generally felt listened to. People’s communication needs and future planning wishes were considered, although information lacked detail. People were supported to access relevant health services and the provider made referrals to healthcare professionals in line with people’s individual support needs.

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.

People had personalised care plans in place which reflected their individual needs and preferences for support. The provider had considered people’s likes, dislikes and what was important to them. This meant staff had clear guidelines about how to provide person-centred care. People's involvement in reviewing their own care was not always documented; however, the feedback we received suggested people and those important to them generally felt consulted and involved.

Staff were able to tell us about people's different health needs and how their care needed to be personalised to support these. The management team told us they were making improvements to how they engaged with people and relatives and documented their views. The registered manager showed us examples of recent reviews held with people’s relatives and how people’s care plans were being updated as a result of their input.

During our assessment, we observed staff engaging with people in ways which reflected their individual needs and preferences. Staff demonstrated they knew people well and understood how to provide personalised care.

People received care from a range of relevant health professionals to meet their assessed needs. People's care plans contained information about the services they received support from including when and how they should be consulted.

Staff told us they knew how to escalate any changes in people's needs and the management team were able to give examples of how they had adapted and worked flexibly with different services to meet people’s changing needs.

Health and social care professionals were generally positive in their feedback about how well staff and managers understood people’s diverse health and care needs.

The provider had processes in place for identifying people's individual needs and making referrals to relevant services to promote responsive care which met people's diverse needs.

People’s communication needs were documented in their care plans. However, we found this information did not always provide enough detail about how to promote communication. For example, where people were living with dementia, the provider had not always considered different methods of providing information or asking questions to ensure their voices were heard when reviewing care and considering improvements in the service.

Staff demonstrated their understanding of people's individual communication needs. The management team confirmed they were exploring how to improve engagement and communication with people to ensure information was shared effectively and people’s feedback gathered.

The provider considered people's communication needs as part of their initial assessment and monitored these through their monthly review process. The provider was in the process of improving their engagement processes and accessing additional staff training to support communication methods at the time of the assessment.

We received mixed feedback about how well people and those important to them were encouraged to feedback and suggest improvements in the service. However, people and their relatives told us they knew how to make a complaint or raise any concerns if necessary.

Staff told us the learning from complaints was shared with them to drive improvement. The management team demonstrated how concerns were responded to with acknowledgement, feedback and an outcome given to those raising concerns.

The provider had a complaints policy and process in place to follow and monitored concerns raised, documenting actions taken.

People were supported to access appropriate care and support services which suited their individual needs. When and how people received support was adjusted where possible to meet their individual preferences.

Staff and managers understood people’s right to equity in accessing care and support. Staff understood how to make adjustments to their support to reflect people’s individual care needs.

Health and social care professionals told us the provider promoted their input into people's care and support to ensure equity of access to relevant services.

The provider had policies in place to ensure compliance with human rights requirements. This included consideration of the needs of people with different protected characteristics and how to make reasonable adjustments to ensure equity.

People’s individual needs were considered to ensure equity in their experience of care and promote good outcomes. For example, where 1 person did not speak English as a first language, the provider allocated them a keyworker who spoke the same language to support them during meetings and health appointments to ensure they understood what was happening and were fully involved.

Staff demonstrated an understanding of people’s human rights and their right to equality. Staff were aware of how to raise any concerns about people’s care and treatment. The management team demonstrated how people’s care plans contained information about their equality and diversity and protected characteristics and promoted people's physical and mental wellbeing.

The provider had processes in place to consider the needs of people at risk of experiencing inequalities. This included an assessment and care planning system and effective partnership working with other healthcare professionals to provide care tailored to people’s individual needs.

People had future planning care plans in place which considered their end of life care wishes. However, some of these lacked detail. This meant they may not always contain important information about how people wanted their care delivered at this time.

Staff had received training in understanding people’s end of life care needs. The management team explained how they worked in partnership with other relevant health professionals to support people’s end of life care and promote their comfort and dignity.

The provider considered people's future plans and end of life care wishes as part of their initial assessment and monitored these through their monthly care plan review process. The management team responded to our feedback promptly, confirming they would review people’s future care planning documentation to ensure they were as detailed as possible to reflect people’s wishes.