Lillington 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.

During our inspection we observed staff to be happy, smiling and positive in their interactions with people. Staff displayed relaxed and approachable facial expressions and body language to which people responded positively. One person told us, “I’ve not witnessed any uncaring staff, quite the opposite. I don’t see them rushing ever.”

Relatives were complimentary about the staff team. One relative told us, “There are no problems with any of the staff, they go beyond what is expected.” Another relative commented, “They treat [Name] very well, I can’t fault them.”

Relatives told us staff promoted dignity by supporting people with their personal care and ensuring they looked well presented. One relative told us, “[Name] is always clean and tidy when I come.” Staff were discreet when providing personal care and ensured doors were shut and blinds drawn to preserve people’s privacy. One person confirmed, “When they want to come in, they always knock first.”

Staff spoke about people with empathy and understanding. One staff member told us, “Our patients need lots of clinical and medical input. It’s really good that they are not in hospital because they get to know the staff. The carers are very good; they know the patients and build relationships which results in the patients learning to trust them.”

A visiting healthcare professional spoke positively about the caring culture at Lillington House. They told us, “It is complex (medical care) but over the years, the overriding philosophy is that this is people's home." Another healthcare professional said, “I am also quite impressed with the empathy with which they look after patients and how well they know them.”

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. One person told us, “I think the staff do know me, they don’t change very often.” A relative commented, “The full-time staff know [Name] very well.”

Staff used their understanding and knowledge of people to ensure the care and support people received was reflective of what was important to them. One staff member explained, "Administering their personal care is the basics, but if you have a person who likes makeup and to wear their jewellery, then why shouldn’t they. [Name] likes to share a joke with you; it is having the time to stand and listen to them so they can do that. As busy as you are, it is just giving them 5 minutes.”

Some people could not share information about themselves due to their complex medical needs or conscious state. Staff liaised with family and friends to build a picture of the person to ensure care provision met their individual values and beliefs. One staff member explained, “If the issue is just communication, then SALT would look at that but if it was due to cognition, we would spend time getting a full history from family and friends to understand what the person would want. You can get so much from talking to family and friends.” Staff gave an example of how they liaised with 1 family to ensure the person’s cultural and faith beliefs were supported when delivering elements of their personal care.

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

Most people were very dependent on staff for all aspects of their care and support. However, there was an integrated approach throughout the staff team to enable people to regain and maintain as much independence as possible. One member of staff explained, “We need to understand what a person can do. If SALT are working on communication to help a person to be able to order a drink in a pub, then the OT needs to be supporting the person to understand how to manage money and physio need to work at ensuring the person has the physical endurance to use their wheelchair. It’s multifaceted, a combination of elements to achieve a goal.”

Group and individual activities were linked to people’s therapy plans. A member of staff told us, “OTs work with staff to develop and implement specific activities. If staff need support or training, then the therapy team provide this to ensure staff are confident and able to provide informed feedback.”

During our inspection we saw people encouraged to engage in a variety of activities including quizzes and games. People were generally happy with their opportunities for engagement with 1 person commenting, “I help with the garden planting and enjoy the gardening, there are enough activities for me.”

Staff supported people to stay in touch with those who were important to them. They were mindful of people’s relationships and understood the need for people and their family members to have privacy and space. The clinical manager explained, “We very much respect people’s privacy. The staff work in the residents’ home and not vice versa. We know residents and their families need that time together and we are supportive of that. You see past the disability and see people want to be loved and valued and maybe desired. It could be watching a film or holding hands. I think the staff do get that.”

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 and their relatives told us staff were responsive when they requested support. One person told us, “There’s no problems at night. I have a bell, and if I use it, they usually come quite quickly.” A relative said, “If [Name] needs help, there is a button they press with their head. [Name] said they always come quickly.”

Staff were aware and attentive, ensuring people received the right support at the right time. Where people could not communicate their discomfort, we saw staff were diligent in their observations to ensure people were supported to be comfortable and at ease. For example, 1 member of staff looked carefully at a person’s sitting position. The staff member changed some of the wheelchair adjustments and positioned the pillow to offer more support, speaking to the person throughout. Another staff member adjusted a person’s headrest in response to a subtle change in the person’s presentation. One relative commented, “They always listen and ask if [Name] is comfortable.”

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

The provider’s clinical manager recognised the importance of supporting the physical and emotional wellbeing of their staff. They told us, "I feel we have good staff but equally I feel we have to acknowledge that this is a very challenging job. For the carers it is particularly heavy from a manual handling point of view, and we have to ensure they don’t burn out. [Care co-ordinator] is very accommodating and listens to the staff and instigates regular care forums where concerns are shared.”

Staff told us they felt supported by their peers and the management team. One staff member commented, “[Clinical manager] is helpful, she always listens if you need something or are under any pressure. She will always listen and help."

After a period of illness, return to work interviews took place to ensure staff were fit and well, or to identify any adjustments they may need. Staff had access to a well-being package which offered them dental, medical and counselling services.