Frindsbury 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 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, their relatives and healthcare professionals told us staff were kind and compassionate. We saw staff speaking to people at the same level and sharing jokes and banter with people. A relative told us, “They’re always nice, I’m not there 24/7, I’ve not seen anything I’d be worried about, they talk nicely at her level, and she smiles when they talk to her and that makes me think she’s happy with them.” And “It’s excellent, they have got the patience of a saint.” Care plans reminded staff about people’s dignity, and we found that staff did not speak for people but knew when to support them with their communication.

Staff told us when they supported people with personal care they ensured curtains were closed and people were covered to maintain their dignity. A relative told us, “All the staff treat him with respect.” Relatives described that staff would encourge them to leave the room if the person needed support with personal care or ask them to wait downstairs if the person was not yet ready for the day to maintain their dignity and show respect to the person.

Relatives told us that staff were kind and caring towards them and their extended families, checking in to make sure they were ok. A relative told us, “I tell you what, I couldn’t wish for a lovelier home,” and “It’s very telling about how much the staff care.”

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.

We observed staff treating people as individuals, supporting them in their own ways with communication, or how they shared jokes and banter with people. Relatives told us staff knew people well and could understand how best to support them. One relative told us that staff understood from the persons vocalisations what they wanted and could identify when they were happy or when they were distressed.

People’s individual preferences were known and respected. A relative told us, “The food is great, the staff in the kitchen are so accommodating. They give him choices. They always accommodate his food choices he went through a phase of posh pate and biscuits which they went out and got for him.” Another relative told us, “The care she gets from Frindsbury House is great.” A healthcare professional told us, “They always seem like they are treating people well.”

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

People told us they made decisions about how they spent their time, and staff respected people’s choices. For example, 1 person had previously always woken early, but since moving to Frindsbury House choose to stay up late, and often sleep in. One person liked to visit the providers other service to spend time with relatives and this was supported. They had not seen each other for a long time, and staff told us that the reunion was emotional.

People and their relatives told us staff supported them to remain as independent as possible. A relative told us that a person lost the ability in their hand to grip at times, but staff always give them the option and encouraged them to try. People’s preferences around which gender of staff supported them was documented within their care plans and respected by the provider.

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.

People were supported by a consistent staff team who knew them well. Staff told us they were alert to changes in people’s presentations both long term and shorter term. The manager told us, “We are constantly observing people for changes to their condition and if necessary, we contact 111 or the GP surgery for support. The care plans can then also be updated.” People were supported to access medical support when needed, for example 1 person’s tooth broke and they were supported to access an urgent dentist appointment. Another relative told us, “He’s got COPD, they will get the doctor in if he’s coughing. Staff will stay with him if he’s taken to hospital.”

A healthcare professional told us, “[Staff] will email us if there is a concern such as the patient is gaining or losing weight, or if there is a problem with their feeding tube etc. She seems very caring to her residents.” A relative told us, “They really look after him there.”

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

Staff we spoke with enjoyed working at Frindsbury House. Staff told us that there was a good team that worked well together. This was echoed by a healthcare professional, who told us, “Staff are always smiling and appear happy in their jobs.” Staff told us they received support and supervision in their roles. One staff member told us how they had been empowered to effect positive change within the service, through their ideas being heard and acted on. Staff told us, “We have a really great team here.”