The Dale Residential Home

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. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. People and their relatives told us staff were kind, caring and respectful. One person said, “I am well looked after and very well treated. The staff are absolute diamonds."

The provider did not always treat people as individuals or make sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They did not always take account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. People’s care plans were clear and well written. They described people’s preferred routines, choices and how they wished to receive their care. People who spent most or all of the day in bed did not always have meaningful opportunities for social interaction or stimulation. There was limited evidence that people were supported to take part in activities, access the community or engage in meaningful occupation beyond visits from family or friends. One person's care plan identified that their hearing aid should be maintained to support inclusion, communication and independence. However, we observed the person alone for extended periods without meaningful occupation and without their hearing aid in place, limiting their ability to communicate and engage with their surroundings.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People and relatives told us their choices were respected. Staff knew people on an individualised basis and were able to inform us of their choices and preferences. A person told us, “I can get up and go to bed when I want. I feel well cared for and listened to”. A relative commented, “The staff really encourage my [relative] to eat. They will offer an alternative menu if necessary”.

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. During an observation of the lunch service, we saw staff checking on people to ensure they were comfortable and had what they needed. Staff responded promptly to people’s choices and preferences. For example, when one person did not want the meal that had been served, staff offered and provided a suitable alternative without delay. Feedback from relatives was positive. One relative told us, “Staff do everything well. My [relative] always looks clean and cared for. Their nails are always cut and a staff member, who used to be hairdresser, does their hair very nicely”. [Relative] is turned in bed regularly, every 2 hours."

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. However, we could not be assured that formal supervision was taking place consistently. One staff member told us, “I can’t remember the last time I had a sit down supervision.” This meant there was not sufficient evidence to demonstrate staff were receiving regular opportunities to reflect on their practice, discuss their development and receive formal support. However, staff spoke positively about working at the service and told us they felt supported in their roles. They described the registered manager and management team as approachable and supportive. A member of staff told us they were being supported to develop their skills and progress their education while working at the service.