Courtland Lodge

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 were supported by staff who were kind and caring. A person told us, “On the whole the carers are very nice. Most of them have a quiet manner. If you have a problem, they respond and do things for you without a fuss and don’t ever make a big issue of things.”

A relative said, “At this time I am more than happy with the care that [person] receives and the way that care is carried out by all of the staff.” Another relative told us, “[Person] is happy at the home and says the staff are very nice which they are.”

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’s care records included guidance for staff in how to communicate with them. We observed staff write questions down to support a person’s understanding and another staff member adapt their approach to encourage a person to do a puzzle; they engaged well with this despite initially saying they were not very good.

Staff supported people to make choices. A staff member told us how they supported people to choose appropriate clothing, “Depends on the person, some feel the cold more. [Person] likes cardigans. Some of the men don’t have shorts but you try and find what you can. On Tuesday we kept their socks off but not all of them like that.”

People and their relatives felt their individual needs were met. A relative told us, “The care my [relative] receives at Courtland Lodge in my opinion based on what I see and how [relative] is and responds while I’m visiting is very good and gives me the confidence that [relative] is well looked after in all aspects of care.”

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

Staff gave examples of how they supported people to maintain their independence. Staff said, “[Person] does their own personal care, and we just check everything is ok and encourage that. [Another person] has a chair which is a bit higher so they can get out of it themself. We get them to do things with us. [Another person] does a lot of work: pushes trolleys, helps with the laundry.”

People were encouraged to participate in activities. A person told us, “I go to most of the Activities here.” Another person said, “I do go along to some of the activities here. They also do outings too but probably only a couple a year and they tend to be very popular and get booked up very early.”

Some people remained in their rooms, and it was less clear what support they had to participate. Staff told us there were some 1-1 activities. A staff member said, “Sometimes. I generally go around and talk to them and try to encourage them to do something.” A person told us, “Well, I often just lay here and just listen, I watch people too. I am going to have my hair done soon, that will be the first time for a while.”

A relative said, “The ladies that do the daily activities are great and there is a good variety each morning which includes bringing in small animals for residents to stroke, singing, and chair exercises. The residents are taken out at times such as to the garden centre and a barge trip. However, I have never seen an afternoon activity take place which is held in the residents own section.”

We discussed activities for people in their rooms with the registered manager who told us, “We have 1-1 activities for them. If they have animals, they come in. We have [a person] with capacity who stays in bed by choice. We take animals to them, they have a [smart phone] and do [video calls]. We take quizzes to their room.”

A professional told us, “Residents are encouraged to socialise, they seem to have frequent visitors into the home, and the residents appear well cared for clean and appropriately dressed.”

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 were responsive when people needed support during our visit. For example, in communal areas we observed staff assist people with snacks, drinks, tissues and support with cleaning their hands.

A person told us, “I have a bell and if you press it, they all come running. They are lovely people and you couldn’t wish for better.”

A professional told us, “[When a] particular resident needs care from the district nursing team they happily get the key worker to accompany us to reduce anxiety for the resident.”

People and their families gave mixed feedback about the timeliness of support. A person told us, “[They had assistance when wanted] for the most part although it does depend who is on duty.” A relative said, “I often find that [person’s] pad has not been changed when I come in and I have seen discarded pads in the wastepaper basket too.” However, we were also told, “[Person] can get annoyed by the sound [of the sensor mat] and sometimes turns it off to go to the toilet without setting it off but the staff react very quickly when [person] does that and rush along to help.”

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

The majority of staff we spoke with felt supported. A staff member said, “I feel valued working for Courtland Lodge, because the management listen to feedback from both residents and staff, and address issues accordingly.” Another member of staff told us, “The managers support staff, when something is complicated or above your strength or knowledge and you inform or approach them, they always assist you.”