Adalena House

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 themwith compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating hasremained 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 respectedtheir privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness andrespect.

We observed the registered manager and care staff treating and engaging with people in a kind,compassionate and respectful manner. One person told us, “They look after me really goodhere.” Care notes were written in a person-centred manner. Conversations between care staff atpeople living at the home were relaxed and we heard lots of laughter on our second day ofinspection. We observed people engaging with staff in a playful, open manner and peopledemonstrated that they felt comfortable around staff.

The provider did not always treat people as individuals. They made sure people’s care, supportand treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths,

abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People were sometimes referred to both verbally and in documents as ‘the gang’ or ‘the boys’.The registered manager was aware of this use of language to describe people, andacknowledged that it did not treat people as individuals.

Care plans detailed people individuals’ needs and preferences, and we saw people engaging intasks and activities which they enjoyed. People’s bedrooms reflected their likes, such as dolls,crafts, and toy models.

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

Documentation around people’s funeral plans were not up to date or reflective of their own wishes. The registered manager assured us that this would be addressed and people’s views and wishes would be sought and recorded.

People had access to and were supported to maintain contact with friends and family. Care notes recorded people accessing their local community, enjoying visits to local pubs, arcades and parks. People had advocates and Lasting Powers of Attorneys (LPA’s) in place. When people did not have LPA’s in place the local authority managed their finances. One person’s care plan around finances detailed how they were to be supported to exercise their right to purchase goods for themselves.

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.

Although we could not be assured that there were always enough staff on duty to always respond to people’s needs in the moment, we saw staff responded to people in a timely manner. We observed staff responding to people’s verbal and non-verbal request for support. People’s communication needs were recorded in their care plans and health passports. Staff demonstrated that they understood people well, and were able to anticipate their needs.

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

Some staff were working waking night shifts but no risk assessments had been completedaround this. It was not clear if staff were receiving breaks in line with working time regulations.Staff were not always being given adequate rest periods between working waking night shifts.These issues posed a risk to the health and wellbeing of some.

However, staff told us that they felt well supported by the registered manager, and that wakingnight shifts had been discussed with them before being implemented. Staff said they felt comfortableto refuse them, or request additional support when working them. Staff said theregistered manager was approachable and supportive, and that reasonable adjustments hadbeen made to accommodate work life balances. One member of staff told us how the registeredmanager had encouraged and supported them to undertake a recognised care qualification,going so far as to read aloud course materials to them, as they were dyslexic and found reading difficult.