1 Stratton Road

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were respected and valued as individuals.

This service scored 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The provider did not always treat people with kindness, empathy and compassion, or respect their privacy and dignity.

People’s privacy and personal space was not always respected. During the assessment, in a 30 minute period, staff entered a person’s bedroom 4 times in order to use it as access to the garden. The person’s care plan stated that time alone in their own space was important to them. This meant staff were not always respecting people’s privacy. We spoke to the registered manager about this who informed us all staff should know to use the front door and side access gate if they wanted to access the garden.

We observed people being treated with respect by staff who knew people’s needs. People appeared comfortable with staff and enjoyed their company. Staff communicated well with people making sure information was understood.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff demonstrated a good knowledge of people they supported and described the individual approach they took to meeting people’s needs. Details of people’s individual needs were reflected in their support plans, including specific ways in which people communicated and how they preferred support to be provided. We observed staff communicating well with people and in a way which people were responsive to.

People told us they had the opportunity to use their one-to-one hours how they wanted. We saw people leaving the home to access the community. Managers told us the rota had been designed in such a way that core support was always delivered but that 1 to1 hours were decided and managed dynamically, on the day.

This meant people had genuine choice and control over how they spent their time, supporting their independence and wellbeing. For example, the use of 1‑to‑1 hours enabled people to access the community on their terms, pursue personal interests and maintain routines that were important to them, resulting in increased confidence, engagement and sense of empowerment.

This meant support could be tailored to each person’s wishes on the day, enabling them to make individual choices about how they spent their time and ensuring care was genuinely person‑centred rather than task‑led.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were able to take part in activities to help maintain independence. This included domestic activities such as cooking and cleaning and supporting people to use public transport. One person told us they enjoyed helping to cook the roast on a Sunday and indicated to us that they always peel the vegetables and potatoes. Managers confirmed that staff offer as much choice and control as possible but understand when people might not want to help with tasks.

The manager identified that one person currently shares transport with another person, and whilst this was manageable, told us they had taken steps to ensure that the person had a best interest meeting to enable them to spend the mobility element of their disability living allowance on an accessible vehicle.

Further, the manager had ensured that requests for independent advocates had been requested. This meant people were supported to have their views represented, were better informed about their options, and were enabled to exercise greater choice and control over decisions about their care and support.

The provider was exceptional in how they listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Relatives said staff responded to people’s needs and made changes to their support plans where necessary. We observed staff responding promptly to people when they requested support. The management team regularly checked care records and completed observations to make sure support was provided in a timely way. Records demonstrated staff responded promptly to people, for example to support people during periods of anxiety which caused them distress. One person was experiencing some health difficulties. They asked staff if they could stay in the home, staff ensured that the person had everything they needed.

People had their own individual living areas within the home. We saw that incidents had decreased since these living areas had been introduced. People told us they had more space that was their own to enjoy. Managers confirmed incidents had reduced since people had their own spaces. We looked at incidents for people before the introduction of this flat style accommodation and saw that since living in a more fluid way, people’s anxieties and number of incidents had significantly decreased. Leaders further confirmed that since dynamic care planning was introduced, there had been a reduction in incidents because staff knew how to support people and what to do to avoid conflict.

Another person told us they experienced difficulty in the spring months. They then told us the ways staff supported them to overcome these anxious times.

Another person was supported to attend a club in the community to develop their independence skills. Staff ensured support was adapted at short notice when the person expressed a desire to attend on a different day than usual. Staff rearranged the rota on the day to respond to this request, enabling the person to maintain their routine and manage anxiety linked to changes in plan. Records showed staff had acted promptly on what the person told them, and the person later said they felt “listened to and understood”. This demonstrated staff were highly responsive to people’s immediate needs and preferences, ensuring support was flexible and centred around the individual.

Where people’s needs changed, staff escalated concerns to the provider who ensured referrals to partnership organisations were made. For example, a person’s mental health had declined, and the provider had proactively organised a new assessment of needs. The local authority wanted to move the person to a temporary placement. The registered manager ensured that they presented the information to the person in a way that they would understand. This meant the person was able to understand what was happening and express their wishes clearly. With this support, the person shared that they did not want to move to a temporary placement as it would increase their anxiety and negatively affect their mental health. The registered manager used this information to advocate on the person’s behalf with the local authority.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported them to deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they received the support they needed to do their job well.

Staff told us managers were open and they were able to share any concerns they had. Staff were confident managers would act on any concerns they raised. Comments from staff included, “I have had some conflict before with colleagues. The registered manager was great. They helped me resolve any differences so that my working relationship was better” and “[registered manager] is great, they always put people first”.

The provider had an external support service staff could access if needed, including guidance and advice. The management team supported staff with adjustments to their working pattern, for example due to caring commitments, being a non-driver or health conditions.

Another member of staff told us the registered manager had supported them to move between services and was attentive to their needs.

A staff member was proud to tell us that they had been employed by the provider for 24 years. They told us the support was incredible for them and that they should retire, but they want to stay on because “I enjoy it so much”.