Starbrook

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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 5 quality statements for this key question.

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.

Relatives told us staff were caring. Comments about the staff included, “The staff over time I have got to know are supportive and they care” and “When I visit, I find the staff there are very kind.”

The registered manager told us they regularly completed observations of how staff were supporting people. They told us these observations assured them staff were treating people with kindness and compassion.

Professionals did not share any concerns about this quality statement.

We observed staff supporting people in a respectful way using people’s preferred communication methods. People responded well to staff approach and made themselves understood easily.

Relatives said people had good care from staff who knew they well. One relative told us, “Staff are consistent and amazing key workers who look for new ideas for [person] to do.”

Staff shared examples of individualised care people experienced. For example, people were supported to go swimming, horse-riding and to the cinema. People had their own activity planners which reflected their interests and goals. Staff used various tools to support people to manage anxieties. For example, social stories and sleep charts were used to help people know when certain activities or events were going to take place.

We observed people being supported to follow their own interests and spend time according to their choices.

People’s needs had been assessed which included protected characteristics such as religious and cultural needs and any disabilities. People had a personalised care plan which informed staff how they wanted their care to be provided.

Relatives told us staff promoted independence and made sure people were supported to make their own decisions. People were able to stay with relatives regularly and enjoy social leave. People were supported to stay in contact with relatives using various communication channels. There were also communication agreements in place with relatives to make sure they were being updated in areas they wanted information about.

Staff knew people’s needs and were able to tell us how they promoted independence for people. Staff helped people identify goals which enabled people to work towards achieving success.

We observed staff working with people in ways that promoted independence. We saw people being offered choice and supported to make their own decisions. We also observed family visiting the service to spend time with a relative.

Relatives were able to visit at any time without restrictions. Some people had their own transport which enabled them to access their local community. Staff also supported people to use local public transport to do their own shopping or use local facilities.

Staff knew how to respond to people’s needs. Relatives had confidence staff would recognise any signs of distress. One relative said, “The staff recognise needs quickly and carefully. They are very respectful.”

Staff knew people’s needs well and had been supporting them for many years. Staff understood people experienced anxiety and at times needed structure and routine.

We observed staff responding to people in a timely and effective way. Staff used people’s preferred communication methods when they responded to them. They took time to explain what was planned for the rest of the day where they were not able to support people with an activity immediately. We observed planning boards to explain when things would happen.

Staff knew where to go for support with wellbeing. We were told they could speak with the registered manager at any time about any issues or concerns they had. We received positive feedback about resources they had available to help them with any wellbeing concerns.

The provider had a range of policies, procedures and systems to support staff mental health and wellbeing. Regular team meetings were organised where wellbeing and support was discussed. The provider had mental health first aiders who were available for support and signposting to resources and guidance. Staff could have wellbeing action plans if needed and ask for referrals to support such as occupational health.