Braintree Nursing Home

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We reviewed 3 quality statements under this key question: kindness, compassion and dignity, independence, choice and control and workforce well-being and enablement. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity and encouraged people to remain independent. People were supported by a caring staff group who respected their choices and preferences.

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 were very complimentary about the care and support they received from staff at the service. Comments included, “Staff sometimes bring their children in here and one little girl comes in and calls me Nan, they call me Mum, that makes me feel at ease,” “Staff were kind right from day 1, they never rush me.” And “I came here before Christmas; I could not wish for better care.”

When we asked a member of staff what they enjoyed about their role they told us, “Self-happiness, I enjoy interacting with the residents, engaging in communication gives me pleasure. I really love this job; I am doubly happy and want to deliver good care to people.”

We spoke to several visiting health professionals on the day of our assessment visit, all were very complimentary of the service. One told us, “It is my second visit here, they are managing [name of person] well, I believe they are doing a wonderful job."

We observed staff respecting people’s privacy and dignity by knocking on their doors before entering. Staff engaged with people in a kind caring manner. We observed people and staff chatting, laughing, and spending time together. People appeared relaxed and happy in their environment.

People told us they felt respected, and staff treated them with ‘Kindness’ and ‘Compassion’. People and their relatives were positive about the meaningful relationships they had developed with staff, describing them as ‘like family’. People were treated as individuals and encouraged to live their life as they wanted to. People’s views and preferences about how they wanted their care to be provided were incorporated into person centred care plans. Professionals working with the service praised staff for the support and confidence they installed in people.

Staff spoke about the people they supported with compassion and respect. They knew about people’s life histories and interests and built trusting and rewarding relationships with people. The delivery of care was flexible and empowered people to make choices about how and where they received their care. Staff understood the values of person-centred care and supported people to attain their goals.

Throughout our assessment visit we saw staff interacting and engaging positively with people. Staff asked people for consent before carrying out any tasks. This was recorded in the daily notes. We observed staff respecting people’s privacy and dignity by knocking on doors and waiting to be invited in before entering and by calling people by their preferred name.

Staff had completed training and understood the importance of maintaining confidentiality. Systems were in place to assess and continually review people’s individual needs and preferences. This information was used to develop each person’s care plan and ensure it reflected their individual care and support needs.

Overall people we spoke with were supported to have choice and control over their own care and were encouraged to make decisions about their treatment, and well-being. Comments included, “I get up if I want and if I don’t I stop there, usually get up at 6am and go to bed at 9pm. I can sit anywhere, there is always something going on,” “Normally I go downstairs around 10.30am. Although if I want to, I sleep in as I like to watch sports on the telly in the evening.” And “I would recommend the home, staff are friendly, you get your meals on time, if you want to socialise you can go to the lounge, you have got choice to do what you like.”

Staff spoke positively about their roles and how they promoted people’s independence and choices. One member of staff told us, “I talk to residents all the time, so I get to know them well and what they like and dislike.”

During our assessment visit, we observed staff interacting well with people. Staff worked at a relaxed pace providing words of encouragement to people. We observed people’s independence was promoted during their lunchtime meal.

Care was planned in a person-centred way and people received care from consistent staff. People's choices and preferences were recorded in their care plans. These were regularly reviewed and updated as people's needs changed.

The service recognised the importance of supporting people to maintain relationships and access the community. People told us they were encouraged to make choices in their day to day lives and remain as independent as possible. Comments included, “Normally I go downstairs around 10.30am, although if I want to, I sleep in as I like to watch sports on the telly in the evening.” People had access to a variety of activities throughout the day and staff supported them to access the local community if they wanted to.

Staff knew people well. This meant they were able to recognise and quickly respond to any changes in as a person’s well-being. People were placed at the heart of the service and were given the opportunity to express their views and be involved in making decisions. This ensured people got the care and support they needed and wanted.

People were encouraged to maintain relationships with those they were close to. Throughout our assessment visit we observed visitors coming and going from the home. People’s communication needs were assessed and recorded in care plans.

Feedback from staff was positive regarding the support they received from the senior team and their colleagues. One member of staff told us, “The management are friendly and do not feel like management. We are listened to. They are nice and help us. As a team any issues get sorted out, this is a good working environment.”

The culture of the service promoted positive well-being through inclusivity, active listening, and open conversations. This enabled staff to do their job well. People were supported by staff who felt valued by their leaders and their colleagues. Staff received regular supervisions and had the opportunity to attend regular staff meetings.