Friars Mead

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.

People were supported by caring staff. We observed some very kind interactions between them, such as when prompting and offering guidance whilst supporting to mobilise. A person said, “The carers are lovely, they are so kind and considerate and thoughtful.”

A relative said “I find the staff kind and compassionate and helpful to us when we visit.”

People were supported to look nice. We saw some people had painted nails. A relative told us, “Person is always well-presented. If [they have] to have a change of clothes, [their] jewellery is always co-ordinating, nothing is ever overlooked.”

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 care records included guidance for staff in how to communicate with them and details about their cultural, social and religious needs. We observed activities staff had good knowledge of people’s backgrounds, likes and dislikes. A relative told us, “I cannot fault the care [person] receives at the home … The managers have worked tirelessly to make sure each need has been met, with a person-centred focus.” A person told us, “I can’t fault it. I feel very much at home here, they never tell you to do anything, they always ask you.”

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

Staff supported people to maintain their independence. For example, we observed staff supporting a person to eat encouraged them to hold a biscuit themselves. A relative told us, “As my [relative’s] needs have changed, so the care provided by the staff has changed to accommodate particular requirements … subtle changes to care which has allowed [person] to feel in control and doing as much as [they] can [themself.]” A person said, “I do all the dusting and tidying of my bedroom and they bring the laundry back, but I like to put it away.”

People were supported with activities they enjoyed. A person told us, “The 2 who run the activities are fantastic.”

Staff were familiar with people’s interests. We observed them support a person watching a game show on TV. They changed the channel and said, “I know you like sport, let me try and find you some sport to watch.”

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 responsive when people used their call bells for support. A person said, “If I call in the evenings or at night, they come quickly… they were here in seconds when I fell, they helped me up.” Another person who tended to remain in their room told us, “Carers pop in regularly.”

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

Staff gave positive feedback about working at the service. A staff member said, “I feel supported by the managers of the service. They are approachable and genuinely care about the quality of care provided, which creates a positive environment for both staff and those receiving support.” Another staff member told us, “I also have supervision sessions where I could express any concerns/get feedback from the supervisor on my work, if I need to improve anything.”

We reviewed staff supervision records and saw they included prompts for staff to raise any personal/health issues as well as achievements in their role and any support needed.