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• 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.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

We received positive feedback from people living at the service as well as from relatives about the care provided by staff. One person told us they enjoyed the banter between them and staff and relatives said, “The staff are kind and caring”, “The staff are great with her and we are always greeted with a smile” and “Can’t fault it. The care aspect of it is amazing.”

People were observed receiving support to eat at lunchtime in an unhurried and respectful manner, with staff showing genuine interest in them. In one person’s room, a staff member entered and we heard them engage in friendly banter with the person demonstrating a positive relationship. The staff member assured the person that their lunch would be brought to their room as they had specifically asked to eat there and this happened.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences.

People were treated as individuals by staff as we read in daily care notes that people were able to choose what time they woke up and went to bed, rather than following a fixed schedule. They also ensured that people received food in line with their choices and needs. For example, one person preferred their food to be soft and at lunchtime their choice of meal was prepared in a way that suited their preferences.

Some people liked to carry out some of their own care, only calling on staff when they needed it, and again staff respected people’s individual wishes in relation to this.

Staff promoted people’s independence.

People were observed moving freely around the service, with some using the lift independently and others walking unaided by staff through communal areas. One person was seen sitting comfortably in the lounge, quietly enjoying their book and later made their way to the toilet independently. They told us, “It’s great, no trouble. I don’t want for anything.”

Another person was also supported in maintaining their independence, as they were able to carry out all aspects of their personal care without staff assistance. Staff respected this whilst remaining available should support be needed.

People were heard making meal choices at lunchtime and where they wished to go following their meal. Some people chose to spend all of their time in communal areas, whilst others preferred to remain in their room. Everyone’s individual choice was respected by staff.

Staff took the time to listen to people and respond to their wishes and needs.

During lunchtime people were not seen waiting long periods for their meals or for assistance with eating. Meals were served promptly and those who required help were supported in a timely and attentive manner, without being rushed.

People spoke positively about staff. One person commented, “Staff are very helpful to me, and they chat to me” another person said, “Nothing is too much trouble for them.”

The registered manager had a ‘you said, we did’ approach where they recorded people’s feedback and shared with them how they responded to it. This included where people had requested more choice in meals and the chef had refreshed the seasonal menu as well as looking at other activities in response to people’s request for more variety.

The registered manager cared about and supported their staff.

Staff told us, “I feel supported. They (management) are helpful. If there is anything not right we can talk to the manager to sort things” and “We support each other.”

The registered manager told us there were contact details of support groups together with information on well-being or counselling services for staff should they need it.