Casterbridge Lodge

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement . At this assessment the rating has changed to Outstanding. The service had ensured people were treated with the utmost dignity and respect. 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.

Casterbridge Lodge was dedicated to putting dignity at the centre of each care task undertaken and every interaction. Person centred approaches were woven into the fabric of the service, people were first. People overwhelmingly told us they felt at home in the service, staff were like family, and they could be themselves, this had given them comfort. The service’s dignity champion conducted dignity spot checks and considered how a person’s care routine and the routines of those around them could impact a person’s wellbeing and staff were supported to explore options. Input was continually sought from people, their relatives and the staff team about how each individual’s experience could be improved, this practice was normalised and embedded within the service. This information had been used to make changes through all areas of the service such as, décor and activities.
The registered manager told us of the lessons learnt about people’s lived experience as residents of a care home following a request from a previous care home resident. She told us, “The original request of this person with lived experiences of being in the care home was to come and volunteer, I said no. They had so much to offer us; their skills and experience. So, we created a unique role for them to be a companion to all our residents as an employee. They are a remarkable member of the team, and I get nothing but compliments from everyone they spend time with; residents and their families tell me they feel seen.” People appreciated their companionship and they had praised the service.
 

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.

Staff consistently demonstrated an exceptional understanding of providing people with person-centred care and spoke knowledgeably about how people preferred their care and support to be given. People and their relatives shared multiple examples of how their lives had improved since moving to the service, for example with regaining mobility and weight gain. A staff member told us following their dementia training, they applied new knowledge and collected informal observations of how people interacted with the main activities schedule. The staff member said, “I felt inspired to approach the registered manager and tell them what I had identified, the truth. Not all our residents did like the singing and group activities, on the wrong day or after a bad night’s sleep some did not interact. I went away and re-read care plans spoke to relatives, I found one of our residents was a teacher. I researched the curriculum during the years they taught and asked the registered manager to purchase those books, which she did without hesitation. Reading those books brought the resident to life! It brought a tear to their eye, and now we are three books into a fabulous series and the resident gets that 1:1 reading time. You see their eyes light up when they see me holding the book. I couldn’t have known that if it wasn’t for the information we knew about the resident before their dementia tragically advanced and the willingness of the registered manager to let me try something new.”

The service had an equality and diversity policy in place. The policy detailed the providers commitment to uphold legislation and best practice to ensure people, staff and visitors were treated fairly. Staff embodied the policy in everything they did, people told us they felt like family within the service.
 

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.

People told us they were empowered to make choices; this was especially true in meeting people’s nutritional needs. Without exception, people and their relatives praised the number of menu choices on offer and the quality of food served at Casterbridge Lodge. Comments included, “There is plenty of food here, they are generous with the food. I would give them all a glowing review”, “The food is top class, 5 star and its constant”, “The kitchen is always open you finish one meal and here comes the next, oh some tea and cake or time for a sandwich. It's exceptional.” And “My loved one came out of hospital with weeks left to live. That was last year. We know we got this extra time because of the patience and persistence of staff to keep our relative fed and watered.”

The ethos of the staff team was to empower people. This caring and supportive approach reinforced the person’s role in the service and ensured care was provided as they chose. People’s emotional state improved significantly because they felt valued and purposeful within the service. People told us the positive impact the attitude of staff and commented, “There is always something to do here, I have my games and prefer not to join in. Even if they know the answer is no, someone still comes up to my room, they still invite me to join in. Sometimes it’s nice just to be asked, isn’t it?”

People were invited to make meaningful contributions to the running of the service. Decoration and home improvements were designed to enhance the environment by making corridors brighter and help people orientate themselves. People had actively participated in this project as murals included each person’s artwork and those who did not have the fine motor skills, were invited to mark make using handprints or an object that mattered to them.
 

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff respond to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

People told us staff were always available if they needed support, and this response was extended to relatives and friends of people too. People told us staff were there for them and without their support could not live the life they wanted. Staff told us they worked for the people they supported and were wholly committed to ensuring they were happy, safe and content. One relative spoke of her loved one’s declining health, “Staff have got the nurses coming in now, so they aren’t in any pain. They’ve set up a chair in the room that reclines and have offered for me to have my meals here so I don’t have to go anywhere and can spend as much time as we have together. It is truly comforting to be made so welcome right now.” We observed staff to have an in depth understanding of people, they had anticipated their needs and treated people with compassion and kindness.

Staff told us handover meetings took place daily to ensure staff on duty each shift could monitor and respond to people’s needs. The registered manager understood their responsibilities in ensuring people’s immediate needs were responded to. They were visible in the service, people told us they knew the registered manager and they were always around checking in with them, this had given them extra comfort. They had systems and processes in place to support this and had oversight of people’s needs.
 

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.

Without exception, staff and the management team spoke highly of the diverse backgrounds and religions of those who worked, volunteered and visited the service, staff of Casterbridge Lodge told us; “Differences are valued”, “Differences are respected” and, “What makes this home special is individuality is celebrated.”

Staff appreciated support from the provider when their work schedules were accommodated to assist staff with personal caring responsibilities, observe religious days, attend staff appreciation trips which offered all staff the opportunity to immerse themselves in British pastimes and culture. Staff told us, “The registered manager is fair and flexible. Diwali and Christmas is always fair; we have a mixed team so if we want our festivals off, we can share with our colleagues who may work extra by giving back to them at Christmas. We enjoy working here, it is a happy team” And, “I have been asked to lead Diwali celebrations at the service, all the staff wore traditional bright coloured clothes and some of the residents wished to join in. The chef made authentic dishes with tips from us.”

The provider had structures and policies in place to support workforce well-being and enablement. Details of access to mental health support and self-guided tools available to staff were on display throughout the service.