Mulberry Court

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 65 (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 relatives spoke positively about how staff treated them. Staff were repeatedly described as kind, respectful, and polite. One person said, “Everybody is very kind here.”

We observed warm, friendly and positive interactions between people and staff. We heard staff asking people how they were and engaged in conversation with them, chatting about family members or local issues. People were addressed by their preferred names, and staff showed genuine interest in their needs and preferences.

Staff were attentive and responded sensitively to people’s emotional needs with reassurance and understanding, especially when a person felt anxious or unwell.

Staff also treated colleagues, visitors and professionals with respect, which supported a positive and cooperative atmosphere.

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.

Staff treated people as individuals, respected their preferences and routines, and tailored care to their personal circumstances. Staff understood what mattered to people and ensured care they received reflected their wishes and preferences recorded in their care plans. These plans contained detailed information about people’s strengths, likes and dislikes, spiritual and cultural needs, and how they preferred staff to meet their personal care and support needs and wishes. Some people were supported to undertake household tasks that they used to undertake in their own home. Staff told us it benefitted people undertaking familiar tasks.

One person said, “The staff are very accommodating to my needs.” Staff described how they support a person with their wishes by understanding what their needs are even though they have communication difficulties.

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.

Two people we spoke to said that they would like to shower more often and 1 person said, “They know that I would like to shower every morning and get dressed before breakfast. This isn’t always possible because there aren’t enough staff, so I have a shower every other day.” This was given as feedback to the provider and evidence received of further staff recruitment.

Another person said, “I don’t go outside because I am so worried about falling.”

People's care plans provided clear guidance for staff on the areas where individuals could maintain their independence and where they required support. Staff described how they encouraged and prompted people to complete tasks independently where possible, while providing physical support when needed. Staff said, “I encourage people to do what they can for themselves and only help when needed. This helps maintain their confidence and independence.”

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.

Care plans we viewed clearly detailed people’s communication methods including how they may show signs of pain, discomfort or distress where they could not do so verbally. People who were able to take responsibility for aspects of their health were enabled to do so. Call bells were observed to be answered promptly and appropriate help given in a timely manner.

One person said, “Although the staff are busy, I know someone would come if there was an emergency.”

The provider did not always care about and promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not always support or enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

We received mixed feedback from staff regarding the support they received for their wellbeing. A staff member said, “I feel that there is a gap in the support that I get within my role.” Other staff told us, “I don’t like it very much when if ever we are short staffed as I feel a little pressured.” Some staff told us they lacked confidence that concerns raised would result in meaningful action or improvement. Staff also said, “I do not feel supported as there is no feedback to staff development requestsand the time that managementtakes to respond to issues is not a good time frame.”

However, some staff also spoke positively about their experience of working at the home, telling us they enjoyed their role, felt proud to be part of the team and considered the management team to be supportive and approachable.