Moorland 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 changed to outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (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 interacted with people respectfully and promoted a calm and nurturing environment. We observed staff respecting people’s privacy and dignity when carrying out personal care. Staff spoke about people warmly and were genuinely motivated by providing compassionate care. One staff member told us, “Respect is one of our core values so we will always promote a resident’s dignity.” Another shared, “It is a blessing to be able to care for others.”

We received consistent positive feedback on staff’s kind and caring approach. This included, “The staff are polite, positive, gentle, respectful and chatty.” And “[Person] wanted to be in a caring environment, and they feel at home here and calls this family.” Another relative shared, “The carers exude kindness and are efficient, no one has been unkind.”

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People’s cultural, religious and spiritual needs were understood and well supported. For example, people had access to regular chaplain support to maintain their beliefs and connections with local places of worship. A staff member shared, “We have a number of residents who follow religion and beliefs who are supported to attend regular services with our chaplain who visits twice a week and some of our residents are supported to attend the local church on Sundays.” This showed people were actively supported to live in accordance with their individual beliefs and values.

People and relatives confirmed staff knew them exceptionally well. They told us staff went above and beyond to ensure people’s wishes, preferences and what mattered most to them were understood and reflected in their day-to-day care. This had a positive impact on people’s wellbeing. A relative shared, “[Staff] always asks me if there is anything they could do to make [person’s] day better.” Another told us, “The staff smile and call you by name and they will talk about things that are personal to [person] when they engage with them.” And “Staff do involve [person] in their care and accommodate their wishes.” One staff member told us how they use their knowledge of people’s interests and life history to adapt activities and support to engage them meaningfully. For example, they had identified one person who played tennis in their younger years was particularly alert to a table target game.

Staff balanced people’s safety with their right to live their lives in ways that were important for them, ensuring risks were understood and managed without unnecessarily restricting people’s freedom. For example, the registered manager shared “One person’s ultimate goal is to keep being able to go out for a walk into the local village, this is risk assessed, we know their routines and it is under review, but we would not want to stop the person from being able to do what they have always done.” This was kept under review as the person’s needs changed, ensuring they remained actively involved in decisions about how risks were managed. This showed the person was empowered to maintain an important part of their routine, and connection with their local village which enhanced their quality of life.

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

People benefited from a highly personalised and inclusive activities schedule which promoted independence and meaningful engagement. The activities co-ordinator was skilled at gently encouraging participation and creatively adapting activities so people of various abilities could get involved and maintain their skills and interests. They told us, “I try to ensure all my activities are easily adaptable to all who want to join in.” And, “Their wishes are respected, even though I do still inform them of what is going on so they have the option to change their minds.” Examples included one person who had use of only one hand was able to do artwork and play bingo, as items were secured to the table, so they did not move, and an adapted knitting machine with a rotating handle allowed them to continue knitting. Puzzles had different levels of difficulty, dementia-friendly arts and crafts and reminiscence materials were available for those with cognitive impairments.

People were supported to access the wider community to places of their choosing, including visits to local cafés, shops, garden centres, church and community events, with accessible arrangements made for those with mobility needs. We were told, “Our most recent trip was a barge boat trip from Sheffield Victoria Quays to the Tinsley Flight Lock where we moored up on the boat and had lunch before heading back to the quays…It was a fully accessible boat with toilets, shower and kitchen and lifts to enable wheelchair users to go on deck.” And, “We have also had various trips into the local village shops that are within a reasonable distance to take people in wheelchairs. And a trip to a nearby school to watch the children maypoledancing. We also have regular visits to the home from the community, with our weekly Communi-Tea Social, and the local Beavers group come regularly to do activities with our residents ensuring regular intergenerational contact.”

We received consistent extremely positive feedback on the impact of the activities co-ordinator, and activities on offer at the service. Feedback included, “The activities co-ordinator is absolutely brilliant.” And, “The activities co-ordinator is a gift to the home, they are marvellous, I take my hat off to them.” Another relative told us, “[Activities co-ordinator] had [person] dancing the other day and they normally don’t participate in the activities. They have a range of activities: quizzes, games, gardening, scrabble, painting, dogs, afternoon tea once a week on a Friday, children come in at Christmas and there is a summer fayre.”

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.

Staff responded promptly to people’s physical and emotional needs. People received support when they requested it, and we observed staff responding promptly to call bells. Daily records showed people’s requests were acted upon, including being supported with bathing when they wished. Staff were attentive to people’s emotional wellbeing and recognised when people needed comfort or reassurance in the moment.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Systems were in place to support staff at work. This included a wellbeing service, which provided specific benefits including access to a counselling service and a hardship fund, to support staff who may need financial support. Staff feedback was valued, and where it highlighted improvements could be made to support wellbeing, the registered manager was proactive in taking action. For example, following a recent staff survey, they focused on areas which scored lower and made specific action plans to address and improve these areas with input from the staff team. The registered manager was enthusiastic about celebrating and recognising good practice within the team and making Moorland House a good place to work, Following staff feedback, they introduced further ways to recognise and value staff and improve morale, including cultural celebration days.

All staff confirmed they felt supported at work. They spoke particularly highly of the registered manager and described a supportive and approachable leadership style. A staff member told us, “I feel extremely supported at work.” Another said, “[Registered manager] is always available and ready to help.” And, “[Registered manager] is very supporting of the team and will always endeavour to ensure we have everything we need to carry out our individual roles and has a genuine interest in both residents and the staff’s wellbeing and has also brought plans into action to make the home a more pleasant place to both live and work.” An area of significant improvement staff told us, was staffing levels which had been reviewed following feedback. This had led to improved staff morale, and reduced pressure on staff, who told us they felt they had time to provide the person centred support people needed rather than feeling rushed or stretched.