To better assist you in deciding whether Little Brook House is the right location for you, we have compiled the following ‘Fast Facts’. These Question and Answer style snippets capture many of the questions that we are typically asked when somebody is interested in finding out more about the home and they will hopefully make it easier for you to assess whether Little Brook House can cater for your needs.
If there’s a particular question you have that isn’t answered here then please Email us now and we will get back to you directly.
The Types of Care We Provide
Little Brook House is registered to provide residential care for:
- Old age and frailty
- Dementia
- Mental disorder, including depression and mild schizophrenia
- End of life and palliative care
The Home caters for both men and women, normally over the age of sixty-five.
We are registered to provide personal care but Little Brook House is not a registered Nursing Home. We are nevertheless able to support a number of life limiting conditions and End of Life Care with support from GP’S District Nurses and other multi-agency partners.
Sometimes, however, even with a holistic approach and the expertise and support of the multi agency teams, a resident may require specialist skills which are only available in a nursing or hospital environment, which might make Little Brook House unsuitable for prospective residents or necessitate a change of placement for an existing resident.
As mentioned already, we work with various agency partners, such as Mental Health, Speech and Language Therapists and District Nurses, to help our residents remain at Little Brook House as their care needs evolve.
Under our duty of care and responsibility to our residents, should an individuals’ care needs require specialist support that we cannot provide, even with the support of external multi-agency teams, we would request an alternative placement be found as this is in the best interests of the individual.
Whilst Little Brook House is wheelchair accessible, the architecture of the home, which is a listed building, means that, for health and safety resons, we can only accommodate a limited number of wheelchair dependent residents.
Our Accommodation
We have 25 single occupancy, fully furnished, en-suite bedrooms with television, armchair, bed, bedside table and wardrobe/draws. Each room has a call alarm system. One bedroom also has tracking hoist facilities.
In addition to the individual living accommodation, the home has:
- Two communal bathrooms, each with hoist baths, including one spa bath
- One singe toilet,
- Two conservatories,
- One lounge,
- One dining room
- Two platform lifts
We also have allocated reminiscence corners/areas; comprising of a faux garden area and faux library area.
There is also our Cabin cafe where residents can have tea and coffee in an informal cafe-like area.
External to the accommodation we have an extensive patio area that is set in accessible, landscaped gardens.
There is internet access throughout the building.
Several cordless telephones are available for residents to make calls.
It is possible to install a personal telephone in a resident’s room but this will require the resident to arrange for the installation of an additional line and be responsible for the associated telephone bill. This is not recommended for residents with dementia.
Facilities and Services
Our Activities Coordinator is responsible for arranging both in-home and external activities.
We hold a monthly meeting with our residents to get a sense of what they would like to see as part of the group activities programme.
We also talk to residents on an individual basis if we feel that they might benefit from some personalised attention or if they make a specific request to us about a hobby or activity that they would like to do.
We provide a range of group and individual activities within the home that are non-chargeable and include items such as:
- Sing-a-long musical entertainment
- Magic shows
- Arts and Crafts
- Games and quizzes
- Animal encounters
We also cater for group excursions outside the home, which are chargeable. Recent trips have included:
- Gunwharf
- Fort Nelson
- Portsmouth Historic Dockyards
- The Milestones centre
- Sea Life Centre
- Beaulieu
- Manor Farm
We also arrange spontaneous activities and trips to garden centres, pubs and tea rooms.
Our FaceBook page and Web site showcase many of the activities our residents take part in.
As well as recreational activities we also provide additional, chargeable services for residents, such as:
- A weekly visit from the hairdresser
- Mobile chiropody services
- Oral Health visits
We will always try and accommodate any requests for additional services that are made by residents..
Staffing, Training and a Typical Day in Little Brook House
Staff work on a roster basis designed to ensure we have the right number of staff with the appropriate skills to provide the required levels of care.
The care needs of the home can be quite dynamic but the standard staff roster would be:
Weekdays
Mornings (0800-1500):
- 1 Manager
- 1 Home Administrator (Mondays ad Fridays)
- 1 Deputy Manager
- 1 Activity Coordinator (Monday to Thursday and Sunday)
- 5 Care Staff
- 1 House Keeping
- 1 Cook (0730-1330)
- 1 Maintenance Staff
- 1 Laundry Staff (Sunday to Thursday)
Afternoons & Evenings (1500-2200)
- 1 Deputy Manager
- 4 Care Assistants
- Kitchen Staff (for part of shift)
- 1 Maintenance Staff (for part of shift)
Night Time (9pm -8am)
- 2 Care Assistants
- Manager or Deputy Manager on call
The Activities Coordinator works from 0900-1400on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Weekends
Mornings (0800-14.30)
- 5 Care Staff
Afternoons & Evenings (14.30-21.00)
- 4 Care Staff
- Cook and Kitchen Assistant
- Deputy Manager or Manger in attendance and on call
Morning are particularly busy. Care Assistants are supporting all residents with personal care and the breakfast of their choosing. Residents choose their own time to get up and what time and where they enjoy their breakfast.
After everyone is up and replete , morning coffee is served and the team then ask residents to choose what activity they might want support with. the Care Assistants will entertain and occupy the residents by doing such things as playing games, bingo, doing puzzles, talking to the residents, looking at photo albums with them or walking with them around the garden until lunchtime.
The Activities Coordinator will take the residents on any trips or events arranged outside the home with support from Care Assistants as needed.
In the afternoon residents are helped with any toileting needs and then activities are resumed for the remainder of the day.
During the nighttime two Care Assistants visit all rooms (where residents request this) on a two hour cycle and residents are helped with any toileting or other care needs.
We believe that to be effective, good care requires two things:
- Commitment and passion about caring for others and the ability to be a team player
- Equipping our team with the right skills to do their job effectively
Our core care team is made up of individuals with a track record of excellence in the delivery of care with the requisite supporting qualifications:
- Our Named Manager is qualified to NVQ level 4 in Health and Social Care and NVQ level 4 Registered Managers Award (RMA)
- Our two Deputy Managers have NVQ level 3 in Health and Social Care
In addition we have:
- 5 staff trained to NVQ level 2 Health and Social Care
- 5 staff trained to NVQ3 Health and Social Care
We operate a proactive training policy for all staff members, the key features of which are:
- New employees are inducted to National Training Organisation standards within 6 months of employment.
- We train all our carers to achieve Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) – the replacement for the NVQ certification – level 2 as a minimum.
We presently have:
- 2 carers training for NVQ2 Health and Social Care
- 7 carers training for NVQ3 Health and Social Care
- 2 carers training for NVQ4 Health and Social Care
All other employees receive the training appropriate to their role, for example Food Hygiene training for catering staff.
All employees receive annual training in health and safety matters such as moving and handling, fire awareness and procedures, adult protection issues and a range of other matters.
All Care Staff without previous care experience are actively pursuing Care Certificates.
Care Management
When somebody is considering taking a place at Little Brook House we do a comprehensive Care Needs Assessment and this is the starting point for a resident’s care needs.
This can be done at the resident’s current home or another place, by mutual agreement and will involve the resident, their family and/or other key stakeholders.
If the initial assessment cannot be undertaken in the resident’s normal environment it may be difficult to ascertain exactly what support is required. After two weeks, when the resident has begun to settle into life at Little Brook the initial plans are reviewed and amended to reflect current care needs.
The objective is to arrive at a Care Plan that captures the needs of the potential resident, their preferences and choices in the range of care options available and the way in which that care is delivered.
Each resident’s care requirements are recorded in our Care Management System and this is used as the basis for managing all care needs for our residents.
On every Shift a Care Assistant is given a Care Card with the list of their duties and the areas of the home to cover.
If there is a problem or we are concerned about somebody’s well being we have an escalation process and, in extreme cases , we will ring 111 for help and advice and they will triage the problem severity and either advise us to ring 999 or arrange for an out of hours doctor to call us.
Changes in care needs are recorded in our Care Management system and reviewed on a daily basis.
On a 3 monthly basis, the Care Management team will perform an internal review of the care plans to ensure that these remain appropriate to the resident’s needs and to assess whether any specific interventions are required or changes required.
There is a formal review that happens with the resident and their representatives no less than annually but can be on a more frequent basis if required. Here the ongoing care needs are reviewed and decisions on the future direction of the resident’s care provision determined. If there are concerns about the ability of the home to continue to provide care at the appropriate levels because of increased dependencies then this will be raised with the residents and their families.
In addition to the formal reviews, informal catch ups with relatives are ongoing. We pride ourselves on our excellent communication at Little Brook. Concerns, any deterioration, or any developing issues which impacts the residents are discussed either face to face, via email or on the telephone.
All residents are assessed via a dependency levels toolkit and hours of care are calculated based on the dependency levels and any staffing adjustments are made accordingly.
The primary regulator for the care home sector is the Care and Quality Commission (CQC) and the latest rating we received as of our last inspection in December 2022 is Requires Improvement.
Funding and Terms of Service
Our indicative fees are designed to cater for all of the general care needs for a resident.
These are subject to a comprehensive needs assessment at the point of admission.
Where there are additional care needs arising for a resident these will be fully disclosed at the time of agreeing the fee structure.
Current room fees start from £1,400 and are exempt from VAT.
These provide for all of the general care needs for a resident. They are subject to a full care needs assessment being completed prior to agreeing the fees for a specific resident.
The difference in indicative fee rates is based on the size of the room, location and whether the room has direct access to the garden. There is no difference in the type or quality of care given.
Additional Services
There are a range of additional, elective services that a resident can request, such as:
- Hairdressing
- Oral Hygienist
- Chiropodist
These services are charged directly from the provider to the resident so the prices are no set by Little Brook House but we will look to make sure that they are reasonable.
Accompanying Residents to Appointments
When residents are required to attend appointments outside the home we will ask whether a relative would be able to accompany the resident.
If that is not possible and one of the members of staff is required to accompany the resident then this will charged at then this will be charged at the staff member’s hourly rate.
Reasonable costs for parking and fuel are already covered within the fees.
NHS or Private Services
Private or NHS services for a resident may also be arranged by the family in consultation with the care home management.
The commissioning, payment and management of those service will be the responsibility of the resident.
We will liaise with the private agency and co-ordinate any required visits.
A non-refundable deposit of 25% of the weekly fee, will be requested in advance of moving in. This will secure the room for one week and we will not accept any further enquiries for that room.
Once the resident has occupied the room the deposit will be offset against the monthly fee.
We do not take a security deposit but we ask that the fees are paid one month in advance.
Little Brook House accepts Self-Funded, State- Funded and Local-authority funded residents with the proviso that our standard fees are met in full. State or Local Authority funding can be topped up to meet this requirement.
If a resident is unable to manage their own finances, we will require evidence of an active power of attorney for their finances to be managed on their behalf.
We have no explicit requirement for a guarantor but should a resident come to the position where they lack capacity we will require that the resident has an active Power of Attorney to manage financial matters arising from their care.
Our fees are set for 12 months from the time of admission and are reviewed each May as a matter of policy.
We hold regular care meetings with our residents and their families and should a resident’s care needs change or appear likely to change, then we will discuss the possible implications of any additional changes as early as we are able.
Should there be a requirement to increase the fees, a decision will be made jointly on whether to move home or increase to fees to accommodate any additional care costs.
Should a resident no longer be able to fund their stay with us then notice will be issued and we will contact social services for help in finding potential additional funding or an alternative place of residence.
If you decide to leave the home then one month’s calendar notice is required. The fees will be apportioned to that date.
If a resident dies, the fees will be apportioned to four days after death provided the personal effects have been removed and a refund/invoice issued for the balance by Little Brook House.
Digging Deeper
The first four weeks of a long-term agreement shall be regarded as a trial period. During this period the agreement will be on a fixed term basis, one week at a time, renewable each week.
If the resident leaves during such a one-week period without giving notice, the home reserves the right to charge for the balance of the remaining days as payment in lieu of notice. In such circumstances, where the accommodation is subsequently re-allocated during that period, a proper proportion of the charge shall be refunded.
When a self-funded resident becomes eligible for local authority funding during their stay in the home, we will work with the resident to try to secure the funding required to remain at Little Brook as this is usually in the residents’ best interest. However, should this not be secured we would have no choice but to give four weeks’ notice for a new placement elsewhere.
When a self-funded resident becomes eligible for Continuing Healthcare (CHC) funding we will support the resident to remain as long as the full fees are paid or unless the NHS funding body decides to move them to another less expensive home that can meet their assessed clinical needs.
Residents should, in the first place, raise any problem that they have with the Little Brook House care staff and if necessary, escalate this to the Deputy Manager or Care Home Manager.
If the issue remains unresolved, then the resident can make a formal complaint to the Hampshire Care Association or the Care Quality Commission.
Residents may terminate their contract for convenience by giving four weeks notice in writing to the Manager, Deputy Manager or Owner.
A similar four week notice period will be given by the home to a resident for termination for cause (unreasonable behaviour, theft or other similar circumstances).
For termination by mutual consent, we will typically have worked with the resident and their family to design an exit process with a negotiated notice period within that framework.
Little Brook House trades as Little Brook House Ltd.
Our Registered Company Number is 4900840.
We operate from
101 Brook Lane,Warsash, Southampton. SO31 9FE
We can be contact by e-mail at team@littlebrookhouse.co.uk
Our management team is as follows:
Irene Lawrence – Registered Manager
Caroline Phillips – Deputy Manager
Ranjeev Saluja – Owner
Our last food hygiene rating was 5 stars (2018)
The home’s insurance policy covers the loss of or damage to resident’s property through fire, theft and flood up to the value of £250.
We do not encourage residents to keep high value objects inside the home but where the personal effects of the resident exceed £250, we recommend that appropriate insurance cover be taken out by the resident, as the home will not accept responsibility for their loss or damage.
Little Brook House does not allow cats or dogs in the home but we can accept small, caged birds by arrangement.
Residents can show preference for the sex of their care worker and Little Brook House will work hard to accommodate this. On occasions this may not be possible, and we would discuss this with the resident at the time.
We can cater for special dietary requirements by arrangement.
A proforma contract can be made available upon request.
We can accept applications from remote residents where we are not able to do a full pre-admission Needs Asessment.
In such circumstances we will ask for the Needs Assessment to be completed remotely and we will make an indicative pricing on the basis of that assessment.
If this is acceptable to the resident they may take up their place contingent on the submitted Needs Assessment being reviewed once the resident is in the home. If there are any major areas of difference between the two then these will be jointly reviewed between the Care Home Management Team and the resident and their family.