Ancasta Grove

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 75 (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.

There was a calm, friendly and welcoming atmosphere at the service during the inspection. We saw and heard staff speak to people by name and saw them respecting people’s privacy by consistently knocking on people’s bedroom doors. Care plans we reviewed informed staff how to maintain people’s dignity during personal care. We saw that people appeared relaxed around staff; they were chatting or laughing with them. One staff member said, “It’s all about person centred care and what people’s wishes are. Some ladies only prefer female staff, so we check this and this is followed. We go with their preferences and protect people’s dignity.”

People’s relatives told us that staff paid attention to detail and ensured people’s hair was washed, that people’s fingernails were clean and that people were offered regular showers. All the relatives we spoke with said that when they visited, their relative was well presented and looked well cared for.

People and their relatives spoke highly of the staff and knew many of them by name. One person pointed out a member of staff to us and said, “She is very good you know: she’s my favourite. She goes out of her way to help me.” People’s relatives commented, “You always get a smile and hello from all the staff, including the reception staff” and “The staff encourage me to stay for a meal, and I often do. The staff always chat to me and make me feel welcome. They are so kind. I am so impressed by them.”

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’s life stories were recorded, and these were detailed and informative. People’s relatives consistently told us that staff asked about life stories as part of the admission process.People and their relatives told us there was a range of activities on offer which catered for a variety of needs. We saw the activities calendar was on display in communal areas and people were also provided with their own copy. Activities included daily quizzes, crafts, cinema and gardening club for example, alongside visits from entertainers and the local school. There was a walking group, and some people told us they went to the local church. One person’s relative told us, “[Name] had a big birthday earlier this year and [staff name] organised a trip to [local maritime museum] and we had a personal tour behind the scenes.” They told us this was very much appreciated because of their relative’s life history and interests. The service ran a ‘wishing tree’ initiative. This aimed to encourage people to suggest ideas for places they’d like to visit, or activities linked to past careers for example.

There was a secure garden which people were able to access in the warmer weather. People living on the ground floor had access to the garden from their bedrooms. A weekly church service was held locally and one person’s relative said, “My [relative] regularly goes to the service. The staff take [them] across with some of the other residents.”

Regular resident and relative meetings took place. We saw minutes of these which showed good attendance. The registered manager told us they had trialled these meetings at different times and on different days so that relatives could attend. Regular surveys were carried out. The most recent results showed improved satisfaction ratings over the past 12 months.

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

We saw that staff were available to help people when needed. We observed a quiz taking place and saw how staff reminded people when it was due to begin and supported them to attend.

Care plans informed staff when people needed support and which things they could do by themselves. For example, moving and handling plans for some people described how staff should assess people’s ability at each intervention. One staff member said, “When I am supporting [name] in the morning, I ask if [they] can get dressed [themselves]. I encourage [name] by giving [them] the clothes and [they] will normally dress [themselves]. Sometimes people might prefer to go in a wheelchair, but we encourage them to walk if they can.”

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 monitored people’s observations during ‘resident of the day,’ and when concerns were raised about poor health. Records showed staff used a nationally recognised tool to assess people’s clinical condition if they had concerns about their wellbeing. The tool supported staff in knowing when to escalate concerns about people’s health and we saw how staff had used the tool with good effect and sought medical support in a timely manner. However, care plans for people who might experience periods of anxiety or distress did not always provide detailed guidance for staff on how to recognise signs of anxiety or the steps they should take to relieve this. Despite this, staff we spoke with knew people well and were able to describe in detail how they would support people during these periods and steps they would take to promote calm. Staff knew how to support and respond to people with low mood. One staff member said, “This morning, one of the residents was crying so I sat with them and asked what happened. I sat with them, made them a cup of tea and gave them lots of emotional support until they felt better.”

People told us they had access to healthcare when needed and that staff supported them to attend appointments. One person said, “I had an appointment at the local hospital for a chest x-ray and the maintenance chap drove me there.” People’s relatives told us staff had acted promptly when people became unwell. One person’s relative said, “When [name] had a temperature the staff acted immediately and a paramedic came out and [name] was admitted. The staff are really on the ball.”

Health professionals told us staff sought external clinical support when needed. This included timely contact with NHS 111 or out‑of‑hours services when required.

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

The provider supported and promoted staff wellbeing. There were star employee recognition awards and a well-being app, including an employee assistance programme. There were also 2 trained mental health first aiders at the service.

A member of staff told us, “We have staff get togethers. We had one not long ago as we had been through a tough time and [registered manager] organised a get together for everyone. We provided food and drink and had a chat. The staff really appreciated it.” Other staff told us about Christmas parties, birthday presents for staff and initiatives such as ‘gem of the month’ and ‘star of the week’. One staff member said, “The management team will always say thank you to us.”

Staff were positive and felt supported to carry out their roles. Staff told us the whole staff team, including the management team were “supportive.” They told us they felt this included their emotional wellbeing. Staff told us they were encouraged to develop professionally and personally. One staff member said, “If I have any issues I can always go to [registered manager]. I have regular supervisions with her every 3 months. I think it’s good that they are regular; we are encouraged to speak up if we have any issues.”