Summercourt

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 Outstanding. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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.

People said to staff “You’ve had to have a lot of patience today” and “It’s good to have met you, you’re lovely.” Relatives said, “They are very kind”, “They are always smiling and she smiles back” and “They have a very caring approach to their jobs.” We saw people choosing to be affectionate with staff, such as hugging them; staff took their cues from people, for example providing comfort on the person’s own terms.

Staff practice demonstrated they understood the importance of physical comfort to people, especially those who could no longer express their feelings in words. Staff took time to make eye contact to connect with people and where possible form a meaningful connection with them. This helped people to feel reassured and engaged with tasks, such as assistance with moving around the home.

The staff group recognised maintaining people's dignity was linked to them feeling valued, respected and genuinely cared for. One person told us their appearance was very important to them, and they took pride in their clothes. Their spouse and daughter said they were always well dressed, and their clothes were carefully laundered.

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.

When people living with dementia struggled to make themselves understood, skilled staff showed compassion taking time to support them to express their wishes. Staff showed patience and empathy. A relative said, “They’ve got the measure of mum and taken the time to get her personality…They know that she refuses to use a walker but needs support so they make sure they have a carer when she walks and this makes her happy.” Another visitor said their relative had very high and exacting standards based on their former career, they said, “They handle her and her foibles very well. They are good humoured and patient."

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

The whole staff team worked together to find food to meet people's preferences and choices. Discussions took place if a person's appetite had declined, and what other food alternatives could be offered that might tempt them to eat.During a meal, we heard a person comment “lovely lunch” Another person said, “I’ve never been anywhere like it!” as they enthusiastically finished their pudding. Throughout our inspection, people were encouraged to have a drink of their choice and staff were quick to pick up on signs of people being thirsty. Monitoring charts showed good fluid intake.

Visitors provided us with examples of how their relative’s independence was supported by staff. For example, their decision to get out of bed at a time of their choice. Staff understood each person’s routines, triggers and what helped them feel safe. For one person, this meant having their breakfast served in a specific way, which was individual to them. This helped them feel in control.

People were at ease in their surroundings; one person liked to use the quiet lounge to meet with their spouse, so they had privacy, and then chose to eat their meals in their room. They said this suited their personality. Another person living with dementia was more gregarious and joined us in the dining room as we spoke with the provider about their plans in the home. The person contributed to the conversation and gave their views. This showed they felt valued and an equal, demonstrating good well-being. The provider welcomed their contributions to the meeting acting as a role model to staff.

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.

Staffing levels meant there was a prompt response to people’s immediate needs. For example, we saw staff quickly picking up on misunderstandings between some people living with dementia and providing calming interventions to de-escalate situations. Staff picked up on cues from people who were restless. They generally used gentle prompts and open questions to help people decide what they wanted to do, rather than telling them. They adapted their approach for each person. For example, they walked alongside them or assisted them to find the toilet rather than telling them to sit down in case they fell. This was an example of a ‘working with’ people culture rather than a ‘doing to’ people culture.

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

The provider invested in staff developmentto promote staff motivation and confidence by supporting them to pursue national care qualifications, as well as specialised training, such as oral health. This in turn encouraged staff to provide a high standard of care which promoted people's wellbeing and meant they had a meaningful life. Staff were proud of the standard of care people received and generally felt they worked well together. For example, staff told us their workplace was inclusive, “People come from all different cultures, and no we have had no issues with all the cultures coming together.”