Bilton 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 70 (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 felt respected by staff. One person described staff members as, “Friendly, caring and patient,” while another said, “I was feeling very low this morning and they [staff] came in to give me my personal care, spoke to me and cheered me up.”

Staff spoke to people with kindness as confirmed by our observations. For example, reassuring people as they walked slowly.

Healthcare professionals were complimentary about the attitude of staff. A district nurse told us, “You would never walk in a room and hear anybody be disrespectful to the resident. They just care so much.”

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 were treated as individuals and their care was tailored to their personal preferences, routines, and levels of independence. People told us they were supported to make choices about their daily lives, which included when they got up and went to bed. People gave examples of how their experience at the home was personalised such as being able to furnish their rooms to their taste and pursue personal interests like writing.

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

People were supported to maintain their independence and make their own decisions. One person told us, “I am encouraged to be independent where I can.” And another person confirmed, “I am able to make my own decisions.”

People were able to move around the home unrestricted. One relative told us, "[Name] is free to walk around where they like, they don’t get sent back to the dementia unit." The home had features to help people move around independently. For example, the walls were painted with different coloured strips to help people recognise where they were and sensor lights were fitted for people who may struggle to locate light switches.

Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment or act to minimise any discomfort concern or distress.

People didn’t feel staff always responded in a timely manner. One person told us, “Usually there is someone around but not always when you need them.” A relative shared an example of how their loved one waited 45 minutes for someone to respond to their call bell during the night. We also found one person did not have their call bell within reach; they told us they didn’t think staff checked on them enough. However, one person told us, “If you ask staff for anything they will do their best to get it for you.”

The registered manager confirmed that call bell response times were not audited and they were unsure how such an audit could be carried out with their current system.

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

The registered manager told us they valued their staff team. They explained they had funds for parties for staff and gifts were bought for them throughout the year. The staff room was also repurposed to make it more comfortable.

Staff were supported to complete diplomas if they wished and could access resources and training to perform their roles safely and effectively.

Staff told us they were able to raise concerns during team meetings, however; they did not have access to regular supervisions.