Briar Hill House

People's experience of using this service: The service met the characteristics of outstanding.

People received extremely caring and kind support from staff who kept their dignity at the centre of all interaction. They were partners in their care and encouraged to make decisions about this. When they were less able to verbalise, staff understood their preferred methods of communication. They embraced family and advocate support and input in this. Staff went the extra mile to ensure people were happy and respected in their home.

People received care which was extremely personalised and reflected their preferences. Staff were dedicated to ensuring their needs were met and their health and wellbeing closely monitored. People were encouraged to meet goals and regain independence when possible. Activities were creative and diverse to meet different people's interests and needs. There were plans in place which detailed people's likes and dislikes and these were regularly reviewed. They included end of life care and the provider embedded an open and honest culture around death and dying. People knew how to raise a concern or make a complaint and the registered manager responded to any complaints in line with the provider's procedure.

People continued to receive safe care. There were enough staff to support them and they were recruited in a safe way to ensure that they were safe to work with people. People were protected from the risk of harm and received their prescribed medicines safely. Lessons were learnt from when mistakes happened.

The care that people received continued to be effective. They were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. Staff received training and support to be able to care for people well. They ensured that people were supported to maintain good health and nutrition; including partnerships with other organisations when needed. The environment was adapted to meet people's needs.

The registered manager was approachable and there were systems in place which encouraged people to give their feedback. There were quality structures in place which were effective in continually developing the quality of the care that was provided to them.

More information is in the full report.