Carnalea Residential Home

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 supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

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.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People and their relatives told us they were treated with compassion, dignity and respect. One person told us, “The staff are pleasant and kind.” A relative told us, “The staff are very friendly and kind, with excellent interpersonal skills. They always have a really positive and helpful attitude.”

Staff had received dignity in care training. We observed staff provide respectful care to people. For example, staff knocked on people’s doors before entering their rooms and sought their permission before supporting them. Staff provided reassurance to people when needed and were patient and kind in their interactions.

The registered manager told us, “I can’t fault the staff in the way they support our residents.”

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

People told us the staff were attentive and took time to listen and be with them. One person told us, “I get my hair done twice a week and, as you can see, I love this particular colour very much. The chiropodist is wonderful, and I have the same optician as I did when I lived at home, which is very helpful”.

People were supported to participate in activities of their choice on a one-to-one basis. One person told us, “I like the quizzes. I am kept busy, and I do a fair bit of reading, which I enjoy.”

One relative told us, “[Person’s name] likes to be well dressed, and whenever she goes out, they always make sure she’s dressed lovely.” Another relative told us, “The best thing about the service is that the staff genuinely care.”

Care plans detailed people’s backgrounds, preferences, and their social, cultural, sexual and religious needs. Staff supported people in a way that met these needs. For example, staff used a communication application to translate and communicate with a person living at the service.

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

The registered manager told us, “This is the resident’s’ home. Happiness, caring, independence are our values. We want to achieve a “home from home” feel, ensuring people go, do, eat, drink what they want, giving them as much freedom and independence as possible.”

People told us they made choices about aspects of their daily lives. One person said, “I can choose what I want to wear, and what meals I want. I have no complaints about the food. I have my favourite place to sit.” Another person told us, “We went to vote last week. They pushed us in our chairs; it was great fun. I don’t need to use postal voting yet.”

A relative told us, “Staff know people well because they take time to listen. And there is a consistent staff team at Carnalea who have been there a long time and know people well.” People and relatives told us they could see each other when they wanted and were made to feel welcome when they visited.

Staff told us, “We helped one person to get a taxi and pick up a takeaway they had ordered. It’s all about encouragement, time and reassurance.” Another staff member told us, “Suggestions are welcome and encouraged. For example, one person wanted to go to the cinema, so it was arranged for him and a few others to go to and see a dementia screening of Singing in the Rain. It was great fun.”

We observed kind and meaningful interactions between staff and people, which showed that staff respected and valued people using the service. Staff knew how to communicate well with people by their preferred names, using respectful language when communicating with people and when talking about the people they supported.

The provider 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.

People told us their needs were met. One person said, “We have all the comforts we need. I don’t regret my decision to come here; it was the right one.” A relative told us, “They have accommodated [person’s name] meal preferences and pescatarian diet well.”

The management team told us, “By changing from split shifts to long days, communication breakdown has reduced, improving continuity of care for people, especially if they are not well and/or a referral to another service is needed.”

A health care professional told us, “Referrals to our service are made in good time, and when I felt a doctor was needed, action was taken immediately.’’

We observed staff responding to people’s needs in a timely manner. Call bells were answered quickly, and staff discreetly supported people who required assistance with their personal care.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. There were processes in place to support staff well-being. Surveys had taken place to gain staff views about how the service could improve, and there were programmes in place to enable staff to develop in their role. One staff member told us, “We have numbers we can call confidentially. The manager was very supportive when I needed time to be with a family member.” The registered manager told us, “There is an employee assistance programme and staff know our doors are always open.”

Following a deterioration in communication between the service and some health partners at the start of the year, a communication tool is now in place which has improved the timeliness of referrals and treatment for people living at the service.