County Durham specialist care and nursing home praised by CQC for Outstanding compassionate care
A specialist care and nursing home in Crook, County Durham, has been praised by the Care Quality Commission after receiving an ‘Outstanding’ rating for compassionate, dignified and respectful care.
- Bradbury House provides 24/7 support to up to 25 disabled adults
- Service rated ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for Care
Bradbury House, in Worthington Close, is run by disability charity Leonard Cheshire and provides 24/7 support for up to 25 disabled adults with acquired brain injuries and long term neurological conditions.
The service was rated ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), and ‘Outstanding’ in the way people were cared for. It was rated ‘Good’ in all other inspection areas, including safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and leadership.
Inspectors praised Bradbury House for having “a deeply embedded culture of kindness, safety, professionalism and continuous improvement, which was consistently modelled by leaders, embraced by staff and experienced by people using the service.”
People living at Bradbury House told inspectors they felt “safe, well cared for and supported by staff who knew them well and understood their individual needs.” Relatives described staff as “very caring and dedicated” and said people were treated “with dignity and great care,” with one relative saying they felt “content in the knowledge they are well cared for at all times.”
Staff knew people well, treated them with dignity and respect, and built trusting relationships which helped people feel valued and confident. Inspectors observed that care was “highly personalised”, with people “consistently supported to make choices, maintain their independence and reach their full potential.”
Staff were also described in the CQC report as “exceptional at promoting people’s independence, choice and control”, enabling people to live “empowered, meaningful lives and have genuine influence over their care, treatment and environment.”
Care plans were developed with people living at Bradbury House, and where appropriate with families and advocates, to ensure people’s wishes and preferred ways of living were central to all decisions.
Residents had access to a wide range of meaningful activities, both in groups and on a one to one basis, based on their interests and abilities. These included trips out, fitness and memory sessions, film, music and dance events.
A highly skilled Leonard Cheshire assistive technology team works with care staff to help people at Bradbury House live more independently.
The report highlighted how people who would previously have relied heavily on care staff for everyday tasks “were supported to independently control their environment, including turning lights on and off, using televisions, listening to music, controlling fans and accessing digital content through voice activated and adapted technologies.”
One person described how assistive technology had helped them “get a bit of my life back”, explaining how being able to independently choose when to listen to the radio or watch favourite programmes reduced frustration and increased confidence.
The provision of assistive technology at Bradbury House and some other Leonard Cheshire services is only made possible through fundraising by the charity.
Sonia Stockdale, service manager at Bradbury House, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the whole Bradbury House team. This report reflects the care, skill and dedication they show every day, and the strong relationships they build with the people we support. Our focus is always on helping each person live as independently as possible, make their own choices and feel valued, respected and safe.”
Our focus is always on helping each person live as independently as possible, make their own choices and feel valued, respected and safe.
Sonia, Bradbury Court Service Manager
Media enquiries
Contact Rob Boyland via robert.boyland@leonardcheshire.org, on 0771 289 8745 or reach out to another member of the Leonard Cheshire media team. Out of hours: 07903 949 388.
About Leonard Cheshire
One in four people in the UK are disabled.
For more than 75 years, we have worked directly with disabled people to give them the freedom to live their lives the way they choose with the opportunity to fully take part in society.
Today, our staff provide social care services that support around 1,000 disabled people across the UK.
In addition to delivering high-quality care, we lead campaigns to influence government to implement legislation that positively benefits the lives of disabled people.
Find out more about Leonard Cheshire
