The Old Rectory

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 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 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 told us they were treated well. One person told us, “I certainly can’t complain. I don’t have any complaints about the people who work here, they all treat us well.” They went on to say, “I do like it here. We went out last week for lunch. They treat me like I’ve always lived here. I think they know me very well.” Another person told us, “It’s excellent here. All of the staff, the carers, the maintenance man and the management they are all exceptional.”

People’s dignity was always respected. One person told us, “I don’t feel like my dignity is ever compromised. They do the things they have to do without causing me any embarrassment.”

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 were encouraged to be themselves and participate in things they enjoyed. One person enjoyed looking after the garden, another was observed folding towels for the kitchen. One person told us, “I like my own company. So, I like doing crosswords and I play games in my room. I don’t feel isolated in my room.”

People were supported to practise their religion and to attend their chosen religious service. A holy communion took place on day 1 of the inspection for those who wished to attend. The manager told us that another person was supported by staff to attend another church service of their choosing.

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

Staff supported people to maintain independence through everyday activities, including participation in community events and active involvement in social settings. One person told us, “I’m as independent as I can be. They are here to help me not control me.” Another person told us, “I like to be independent. They help me with that by letting me make my own choices.”

People were encouraged and supported to maintain regular contact with their relatives and friends. Relatives were free to visit at any time, and we saw visiting relatives throughout the inspection. The manager told us how they supported 1 person with maintaining a friendship in the provider’s other care service.

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.

When people became upset or distressed, we observed staff interacting with them quickly to support them. We observed 1 person constantly going over to another person at lunch and trying to engage with them. This was causing the person, who was trying to eat their lunch distress. A member of staff acted quickly and swiftly to distract the person on numerous occasions which stopped the situation from escalating.

We observed throughout the 2 days of the inspection, staff interacting with people to distract them and support them during differing periods throughout the days.

The manager told us they undertook monthly call bell audits to ensure that wait times were acceptable and to highlight any concerns.

The provider went above and beyond to support staff. They cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff we spoke with all told us they were happy and felt supported working at The Old Rectory. One staff member told us, “The managers listen to me and make me feel respected.”

The manager told us how they had supported a member of staff financially and altered a pay date when the unexpected had occurred. A fundraising event had been held for another staff member when there had been a crisis situation in their life, which had left them without any household items.

The provider had a trained mental health first aider and a designated menopause manager to support staff who may require support in these areas.

The manager told us that there were pay incentives to retain experienced staff and recognise their contribution and they delivered wellbeing days and targeted supervision sessions based on staff needs. Bespoke training was put in place when a member of staff required extra support ensuring they were equipped with the skills to deliver person centred care.

These actions meant that the service had a consistent, motivated staff team who felt supported and fulfilled in their roles at The Old Rectory.