Eagle House Residential Care 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. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 95 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. Staff interactions with people were seen to be natural, kind and compassionate. There was a natural 'banter' between people but staff always showed respect and upheld people's dignity. Care was discreet when needing to respond to more urgent feelings and responses but also at times fun and light-hearted. Staff knew when and with whom they needed to use different approaches and had the skills to do so.

People gave very positive feedback about how they were treated and the impact this had in terms of them feeling like valued human beings again. They told us they had choices and were very much in control of their care and their future. One person told us, “The house is like a big family home and it feels warm and friendly not like my previous place.” Another person said, “I am here because I witnessed something horrible and the staff understand that and treat me with respect.”

People also told us how staff respect their privacy. One person said, “Even though they know me well, the staff always knock as this is my sanctuary and home.” Visitors were encouraged and able to spend time wherever people were comfortable, for example, in the community, in the homes communal space, gardens or the person’s bedroom. Relatives also felt staff were very kind and skilled. One relative told us, “Staff treat [my family member] with respect. For example, they don’t just talk to them, they’ll say ‘Hello, is it alright to speak at the moment?"

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.

The staff supported people to explore their options for education, social events and employment, always looking at the future and what they could achieve. They created goals with planned steps that felt achievable for people. One person was supported with animal therapy to help them work through their feelings and find ways to cope when distressed. A person told us, “My family are always surprised at how ‘open’ everything is here and how we are regarded as individuals.” Another person said, “I am an Anglican, I pray and read the bible I have the option of seeing a Padre. I go walking every day when not going out elsewhere and live independently. Staff come in every day, always a male staff, I have said I will have a female but I prefer male support.” A relative told us, “I think they do understand [my family member], staff are patient.”

A professional told us about the support given to one of the people they worked with. They said, “After the person’s last supported living placement broke down, Eagle House staff were very good at managing the person’s anxieties and providing excellent person-centred and individualised care for them, which is vital to help their anxieties. They are more settled here than they have been anywhere. Staff keep them busy and use their 1:1 hours flexibly and take them to football matches which they particularly enjoy and visits locally as well as further afield. The person is encouraged to help outside and do work to give them meaningful work to do, that they are obviously proud of, as they send me pictures of it. Staff are not judgmental towards the person when they [become distressed] and work hard to try to help the person to understand [why they felt that way].”

The provider was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Some people were under legal restraints such as community treatment orders or under a section of the Mental Capacity Act 2005. This meant restrictions were placed on them in terms of the freedom to go to places without staff support. However, the registered managers and staff team worked hard to empower people to understand their rights and still have control over the choices made about their care and how they spent their time. They encouraged people to remain as independent as possible, to look for work or gain the skills required for future employment. They promoted relationships and had easy read information available about all types of platonic, romantic and sexual relationships and how to stay safe. They encouraged social events and hobbies such as one person who was supported to gain a license for using a drone to create a photography and video business. Another person learnt to drive and has a car, yet another person was learning to cook in a professional kitchen and gain the relevant qualifications in these areas.

Care was very person-centred and planned with high quality, flexible support. Consequently, people felt hopeful for their futures and grew in confidence about their abilities. One person had been supported to learn to walk again from using a wheelchair to now using a walking aid. They had a goal to continue to build strength physically aiming to one day only require a walking stick for support. One person told us how they felt the staff were very friendly and would encourage them to be independent such as making their own drinks when they felt well enough to do so but were there for them when they needed more support. Another person said, “I have my own room it is kept clean and [staff] help as I can't do things for myself [that involve bending down]. I do some things for myself.” A relative told us, “[My family member] is always happy with the staff and they help when needed. They do things for themselves. They have a medical device which they change themselves; staff got them a wheelchair, but now they are starting to walk again.”

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. We observed staff responding to multiple people at different times who were becoming distressed. They were able to quickly offer the right level of support and prevent the person feeling worse.

People told us they felt well supported by staff and could ask for support at any time. Professionals also gave positive feedback in this area. One professional said, “[A person] will call many services wanting to discuss their needs and it is care planned for them not to call services directly and to utilise their 1-1 support to deter this occurring. Each time, the management have provided reassurance on who is supporting the person with their additional 1-1 hrs and from what time to when. The person knows what they are currently doing and what is planned for their support that day and if they have concerns, they know who to contact. Each time staff will go to the person and let them know we have called to check on their welfare."

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff were offered continuous training and further qualifications to develop and share skills. They were extremely positive about the support they received from the registered managers and multiple staff told us this was the best care home they had ever worked in due to the way they were treated. This resulted in a happy staff team who were confident and secure in their roles which was reflected in the way they supported people living at the service. Interactions with people were extremely positive and natural, with clear mutual respect.

Staff told us their wellbeing was given priority by the registered managers and they could seek and gain support for anything impacting their personal or work lives. Staff gave examples of how reasonable adjustments were made when required to support personal circumstances.

The registered managers had supported staff to train as wellbeing ambassadors who acted as champions for people and staff. The champions reviewed people and staff’s physical and mental health and wellbeing and worked through a ‘toxicity checklist’ with staff to encourage a positive working culture. They included staff debriefs to identify stress, held welfare meetings and the provider offered free counselling services, free meals, vouchers at Christmas time and ran an employee of the month scheme. These added to how well supported staff felt in their jobs.