Chilmington House

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 70 (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.

We observed staff spoke to people in a kind and caring way and participated in activities and hobbies with people. Staff demonstrated they knew the personal histories of people and were observed to talk with people about their interests and life history. One person said they had enjoyed baking with the staff and liked them all.

One relative told us, “the staff are kind and compassionate.”

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.

Relatives told us staff treated people as individuals and met their specific needs. 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.

We saw people’s bedrooms were very personalised and people had been involved in decisions about redecoration.

The provider did not always promote people’s independence, so people did not always know their rights and have choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff were observed helping people take part in an art activity and there was an activity timetable on the wall with suggestions for each day. However, this activity timetable was sent from head office and none of the people living at Chilmington House were involved in the planning of activities. Activities were not aligned with people’s specific interests which meant people did not engage in activities that were meaningful to them.

One person was given a book they particularly enjoyed, however they were not supported to read the book. This meant staff did not always support people to access their hobbies and interests.

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.

Staff were aware of the ways people communicated any discomfort or distress, however care records did not always contain adequate guidance for staff on how people may communicate their distress. Staff were confident in being able to understand any non-verbal signs of a person being distressed. One staff member said, “Yes, I have received training in responding to distress reactions. I learned how to remain calm, use reassurance and de-escalation techniques, communicate effectively, observe triggers, maintain safety, and provide person-centred support while respecting the individual’s dignity and emotional wellbeing.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

There was a positive culture within the service, where staff felt valued, supported, and respected by senior managers and the provider. Without exception, staff spoke positively about the leadership. One staff member said, “I feel supported in my role. I receive training, supervision, guidance from senior staff, and support during shifts. If I am unsure about something, I can ask colleagues or the manager. I also feel supported through handovers and team communication, which helps me understand people’s current needs and any changes. I feel it is a good place to work. I enjoy supporting people to have a good quality of life, helping them make choices, seeing them become more confident, and building positive relationships with them. It is rewarding when you know you have made someone’s day better.”

Staff also said that they were happy at work and treated fairly.