Rookery Cottage

There were consistently enough staff to meet people's care needs. People were supported with their medicines and good infection control practices were followed. Accidents, incidents and falls were recorded and followed up appropriately. Lessons were learned when things went wrong.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of 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.

The providers had embedded an open and learning culture in their family run service. They were passionate about people experiencing a caring, home from home service and this was at the heart of the values of the service.

All of the feedback from people, relatives and staff was positive about the approachability, availability and responsiveness of the providers, and the friendliness and warmth of the staff team. Staff told us they were happy in their roles and felt valued as part of a strong and effective team.

The providers were committed to investing in the training and continuous learning of their experienced staff team for the benefit of people living in the service. Staff felt they had opportunities to progress in their roles and took on mentoring of others and specialist areas of care, as part of their ongoing development. A high number of staff were involved in studying for care qualifications, supported by the provider.

The providers worked in an open and transparent way and staff knew how to raise concerns should they have any. The providers had effective oversight of the running of the service. An electronic care planning system had recently been introduced and was embedded into practice. This helped staff have easy access to care records and gave the management team instant access to oversee people's care.

The views of people and relatives were regularly sought and used to drive continuous improvements of the service. Communication within the staff team was effective and staff felt their opinions mattered.