Russell 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.

We observed both positive and negative engagements with people. Some staff did not engage with people whilst supporting them with their meals, whilst other staff were attentive, encouraging, gentle and involved people. The registered manager carried out observations of staff’s practice and engagement with people to ensure staff promoted people’s privacy, dignity and respect.

Relatives described staff as kind and caring. They commented, “Staff are all kind and caring, absolutely”, “Staff work well together, they are compassionate and kind” and “Staff help with personal care, and this is done with dignity. Sometimes [person] is not receptive, and staff are very patient and respectful”.

Professionals involved with the service gave positive feedback on staff’s caring and kind nature. They commented, “Staff provide highly compassionate support. For example, a person who experiences frequent seizures and post-ictal confusion is treated with patience and reassurance, with staff gently orienting them and respecting their dignity throughout recovery” and “I am impressed with the kind, respectful and knowledgeable way the support staff enable the people they support. I have learned how to interact with the people they support to enable them to take part in the physiotherapy sessions by observing the support worker’s methods and styles of communication. I value the contribution the support workers make towards the service I provide”.

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 personal, cultural, social and religious needs were identified, understood and met. As part of the quality-of-life tool audit carried out by the provider staff worked with people and their relatives in setting goals to enable people to meet their aspirations.

Staff had a good knowledge of people and treated them as individuals, considering any relevant protected equality characteristics.

People’s communication needs were identified and met to enable them to engage in their care, treatment and support to maximise their experience and outcomes.

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

People had access to activities and the local community to promote and support their independence, health and wellbeing. People had an individual programme of activities and their access to community and on-site activities had increased. The majority of people had been on holidays and or day trips over the summer, and these had been a success.

People had access to a range of appropriate equipment to support and maximise their independence and outcomes from care and treatment.

There were no restrictions on visiting to the service, with family members and friends’ involvement in people’s care encouraged.

A professional involved with the service was positive about how people’s independence is promoted. They commented, “The service ensures that residents lead active and fulfilling lives. During the day, the majority of residents are usually engaged in community activities, such as attending local clubs, going shopping, or visiting places, which is a remarkable achievement given the severity of their epilepsy”.

Another professional told us how staff support people well and are committed to enable them to live full and varied lives. They commented, “The house has a program of activities for the people they support that is well attended and staff and people they support appear to enjoy. The staff can be seen to care for the people they support as if they were their own family. There are some staff who think outside the box and clearly engage with the people they work with in a way that is enjoyable and encouraging”.

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 had access to call bells, sensor alarms and epilepsy acoustic monitoring equipment which enabled them to be responsive to people’s needs.

Staff knew people well and therefore could quickly recognise when people needed urgent help or support. Systems were in place to enable staff to escalate concerns and get prompt medical intervention if deemed required.

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

Systems were in place such as team meetings and supervisions to enable staff to provide feedback on barriers that impacted their well-being and prevented them from consistently delivering person- centred care.

The provider had a staff recognition scheme which enabled them to appreciate and celebrate the contributions of their staff. This allowed staff members to nominate colleagues for an award and promote a culture of appreciation and recognition.