Livability Brookside House

What families say

Based on 8 Google reviews · 0 reviews on carehome.co.uk · most recent 2026-04-10

The eight family priority themes

• Staff warmth88
• Compassion & dignity90
• Cleanliness72
• Activities & engagement85
• Food quality60
• Healthcare72
• Management & leadership88
• Resident happiness80

What inspectors found

Inspected 2019-08-30 · Report published 2019-08-30 · Inspected 1 times in the last three years

• Is this home safe?

  Good

  {"found":"Safe was rated Good at the July 2019 inspection. This rating covers staffing levels, medicines management, infection control, and safeguarding. The home supports people with a wide range of complex needs, including dementia and mental health conditions. The published report does not include specific staffing ratios or night cover numbers, and no concerns were recorded in the Safe domain. A Good rating indicates inspectors were satisfied that people were protected from avoidable harm.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Safe rating is a solid baseline, and no concerns were flagged, which matters when your parent has dementia or a complex condition. However, research from the Good Practice evidence base consistently shows that night staffing is where safety most often slips in care homes, and this inspection report does not record overnight staffing numbers for this 24-bed home. Agency staff use is also not mentioned, which is significant because consistency of familiar faces reduces anxiety and distress for people with dementia. Our family review data identifies staff attentiveness as a key safety signal for families (mentioned in 14% of positive reviews). Ask directly about both night cover and agency reliance before making a decision.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett rapid evidence review found that night staffing ratios and agency staff reliance are among the strongest predictors of safety lapses in care homes, particularly for residents with dementia who may be at higher risk of falls or distress overnight.","watch_out":"Ask the manager to show you the actual staffing rota from last week, not a template. Count how many permanent staff were on duty overnight across Monday to Sunday, and ask what the procedure is when a regular carer calls in sick."}

  Verified by inspectorMentioned, not assessed

• Is the care effective?

  Good

  {"found":"Effective was rated Good at the July 2019 inspection. This domain covers training, care planning, healthcare access, nutrition, and how well staff understand the needs of the people they support. The home specialises in dementia, learning disabilities, mental health, and physical and sensory needs, which means staff training should reflect a broad and complex range of conditions. The published report does not include specific detail about care plan content, GP access frequency, or dementia training programmes.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"A Good Effective rating tells you that inspectors were satisfied with training and care planning at the time of inspection. For families considering this home for a parent with dementia, the dementia specialism is reassuring, but the published text does not confirm what dementia training looks like in practice, whether that is formal qualifications, regular refreshers, or specific techniques such as validation therapy. Food quality, which our family review data shows matters to 20.9% of positive reviewers, is not described in the inspection findings. If your parent has specific dietary needs or textures due to swallowing difficulties, ask how those are recorded in the care plan and how kitchen staff are informed.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review identified care plans as living documents that should be updated with each meaningful change in a person's condition or preferences, with families actively included in reviews. Homes where families co-produce care plans report higher satisfaction and better outcomes for residents.","watch_out":"Ask to see a sample care plan (anonymised) and check whether it records the person's life history, preferred name, communication style, and food preferences, not just medical needs. Ask how often care plans are reviewed and whether you would be invited to contribute."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is this home caring?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"Caring was rated Outstanding at the July 2019 inspection. This is the highest rating available and is awarded only when inspectors find specific, sustained evidence of staff treating people with genuine warmth, dignity, and respect. An Outstanding Caring rating in a home supporting people with dementia and complex needs is particularly significant, as it requires evidence that staff know individuals well and adapt their approach accordingly. The published summary does not include verbatim resident or relative quotes, but the Outstanding rating itself reflects a high volume of positive evidence gathered during the inspection.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Staff warmth is the single biggest driver of family satisfaction in our review data, mentioned in 57.3% of positive reviews, and compassion and dignity appear in 55.2%. An Outstanding Caring rating addresses both directly. For a parent with dementia, who may not be able to tell you how they feel about the staff around them, this rating matters more than almost any other. Good Practice research confirms that non-verbal communication, tone of voice, unhurried pace, and physical warmth are as important as spoken words for people with advanced dementia. On your visit, notice whether staff greet your parent by their preferred name without being prompted, whether interactions feel rushed, and whether staff make eye contact and get down to the person's level.","evidence_base":"The Leeds Beckett and IFF Research evidence review found that person-led care, where staff know an individual's history, preferences, and communication style, significantly reduces distress behaviours in people with dementia and improves quality of life scores compared with task-focused care models.","watch_out":"On your visit, watch what happens when a resident appears unsettled or asks the same question repeatedly. Does the staff member respond with patience and acknowledgement, or redirect quickly and move on? This is one of the most reliable observable signals of whether Outstanding Caring is real in day-to-day practice."}

  Verified by inspectorResident testimony recorded

• Is the home responsive?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"Responsive was rated Outstanding at the July 2019 inspection. This domain covers how well the home tailors its care and activities to individual needs, how complaints are handled, and whether end-of-life care is well planned. An Outstanding Responsive rating in a home serving people with dementia, learning disabilities, and mental health conditions requires evidence that activities and daily life are genuinely shaped around each person rather than a fixed group programme. The published summary does not include specific activity examples, but the Outstanding rating signals that inspectors found clear evidence of individualised responsiveness.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that resident happiness, closely linked to meaningful engagement, is cited in 27.1% of positive reviews. Activities and engagement appear in 21.4%. An Outstanding Responsive rating suggests this home goes beyond scheduled group sessions. For your parent with dementia, individual engagement matters more than a packed timetable. Good Practice research highlights that Montessori-based approaches and everyday household tasks (folding, sorting, simple cooking) provide continuity and purpose for people with dementia who can no longer follow structured activities. Ask specifically what happens for a resident who cannot join a group session due to fatigue or anxiety.","evidence_base":"The Good Practice evidence review found that tailored one-to-one activities, particularly those linked to a person's occupational history and lifelong interests, produce measurably better wellbeing outcomes than group-only activity programmes, especially for people in later stages of dementia.","watch_out":"Ask the activities coordinator to describe what a typical Tuesday looks like for a resident who cannot join group activities, perhaps because they are tired, anxious, or have advanced dementia. If the answer is vague or defaults to television, probe further about one-to-one time and how it is recorded."}

  Verified by inspector

• Is the home well-led?

  Outstanding

  {"found":"Well-led was rated Outstanding at the July 2019 inspection. This domain assesses the quality of management, organisational culture, governance systems, and whether the home learns from incidents and feedback. An Outstanding Well-led rating requires inspectors to find specific evidence of a leader who is known to staff and residents, systems that drive continuous improvement, and a culture where staff feel able to speak up. The nominated individual recorded in the report is Ms Jane Percy. The home is run by the organisation Livability.","quotes":[],"family_meaning":"Our family review data shows that visible, approachable management is mentioned in 23.4% of positive reviews, and communication with families in 11.5%. An Outstanding Well-led rating is a strong signal that the home is being actively managed rather than simply administered. Good Practice research consistently shows that leadership stability is one of the strongest predictors of sustained quality: homes with long-serving, present managers outperform those with frequent leadership changes. However, the inspection was in 2019. Ask whether Ms Jane Percy or a successor is still in post, and for how long the current manager has been in role.","evidence_base":"The IFF Research and Leeds Beckett evidence review found that homes with stable, visible leadership and a culture of bottom-up staff empowerment, where frontline staff feel safe to raise concerns, consistently maintain higher quality ratings over time and respond more effectively to deterioration in individual residents.","watch_out":"Ask to meet the current manager, not just a senior carer, and ask directly how long they have been in post. Then ask what the biggest change they have made in the last 12 months was. A manager who can answer that with a specific example, not a policy statement, is a good sign."}

  Verified by inspector

Source: CQC inspection report →

What the evidence base says

Against the DCC Good Practice in Dementia Care standards, this home’s evidence aligns most strongly on The team supports residents with physical disabilities, providing the practical help needed for daily living. They care for adults across different age groups, from those under 65 facing early-onset conditions to older residents with age-related needs.. Gaps or open questions remain on For residents living with dementia, the home provides specialist support designed to maintain dignity and quality of life. The team understands the unique challenges dementia brings and works to create a safe, supportive environment. — areas worth probing directly during a visit.