Brambles Care Home

Care and support was of an excellent standard and person centred. Care plans were in place which set out how to meet people's individual needs and people themselves were involved in deciding upon and planning their care. People's communication needs were assessed and met in an accessible way which showed innovation in the use of technology. A wide range of activities, both in house and in the community, were provided. These were not only chosen by people, in some instances they ran them as well. Arrangements were in place to provide caring and sensitive support to people at the end of life stage of care which supported people to make choices and family to be involved. There was a complaints procedure in place and complaints received had been dealt with in line with the procedure.

The service was exceptionally well managed. People, relatives and staff all told us how approachable and supportive the registered manager was and the whole management ethos demonstrated an open and inclusive culture. The management helped promote positive outcomes for people that reflected their wishes and promoted equality and diversity. The registered manager worked closely with other agencies to share and develop best practice.

The provider had systems in place to protect people from the risk of abuse. Risk assessments were in place which provided guidance on how to support people safely, although people were able to take risks where they had the capacity to make decisions about this. There were enough staff working at the service and robust checks were carried out on staff to check their suitability. Medicines were stored and administered in a safe way and people were able to manage their own medicines where appropriate. The home was clean, and steps were taken to reduce the risk of the spread of infection. Accidents and incidents were recorded and reviewed so lessons could be learned of things went wrong.

Assessments were carried out of people's needs before they moved in and people were invited to visit the home to help them decide if it was suitable for them. Staff had the knowledge and skills to support people. People told us they liked the food and most people said there was plenty of choice. The service met people's healthcare needs and ensured they had access to relevant healthcare professionals. People were supported to have maximum choice and control over their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were able to consent to the care they received and make choices over their daily lives.

People were treated in a kind and caring way by staff and staff understood the importance of promoting people's dignity, privacy and independence. The service met people's needs in relation to equality, diversity and human rights issues. The provider took steps to protect people's right to confidentiality.