Anchor House - Doncaster

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 the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question Inadequate. 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 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. Members of staff were kind and caring in their interactions with people and we saw people responded positively to these interactions. There was a pleasant atmosphere in the care home and members of staff knew the people for whom they provided care. Members of staff told us about how they supported people to maintain their privacy and dignity. One member of staff told us, “I help people maintain their dignity by ensuring their privacy is maintained at all times, especially during personal care by ensuring their bedroom door is closed. I knock before entering and asking for consent before giving any personal care and always offer choice and respect their decisions and promoting their independence. This includes recognising their abilities to do things independently and valuing their choices and decisions. Simple measures such as speaking politely and giving people time to respond goes a long way in helping to build a bond of mutual respect. I feel the care we give should support independence, self-esteem and dignity.” When we spoke to people about how they felt about members of staff, 1 person told us, “I don’t have any problems, they are nice to me.” Another person told us, “All the staff are nice now, it has improved a little bit. They are kind. [Member of staff] is jolly.” A family member told us, “The staff are pleasant, it is probably better than it used to be. When I come in, they offer me a coffee. They never used to.”

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. The provider had initiated access to local religious links and networks. People had been supported to go to the local church. The provider was keen to ensure people accessed the community and where people had capacity there were no restrictions. One person had a specific care plan in place about activities which gave support and guidance for members of staff about how to support the person to engage in activities when they were experiencing periods of anxiety. The care plan was tailored to their specific needs and outlined how to maintain patience and a gentle approach along with supportive verbal cues. People told us about how they were treated as individuals. One person said, “[Members of staff] talk nicely to me. I can come and have a lie down when I want to. There are no problems.” Another person said, “Yes, [members of staff] are good with me. They listen now.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. The provider had taken time to communicate with people and their families to complete an 'About Me' document and information about people's preferences which ensured members of staff were aware of people's likes and dislikes. We observed people were offered choices about drinks, food and snacks throughout the day. People were offered choices at lunchtime and some people wanted different food to what was on available on the menu. Their choices and preferences were met and respected. We asked people if they were encouraged to be independent. One person told us, ”I shave every 2 days and I like to do it myself. I can go out on my own and I do this. [A member of staff] comes to see me and we talk about what I can do, like making my own drinks. We talk and we sort out things about what I can do. They are very good.” Another person said, “I can do everything for myself.”

The provider had improved how the service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. The changes needed to be embedded and sustained. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. The provider had identified a person struggled with the stairs and had supported them to move to a downstairs room. The person told us, “I don’t know why, but I can’t go out. I used to be upstairs and I have moved downstairs to this room. It’s better down here for my legs. I don’t have to go up the stairs. They asked me and I said I wanted to move. I can come to my room and go where I want.” Another person told us, ”We have a toilet upstairs, it has improved as now there is toilet paper in there. If there isn’t any, I know I can ask and they will get some for me. I go downstairs to the shower room,” Another person said, “I like to get up early, as I have had enough time in bed. They get me up and dressed. I have a regular bath, I get enough, most of the time I have a bath, I am happy. I can go to bed when I want to.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. There was a handbook in place for members of staff which outlined all the expectations and support for employees. The provider was committed to recruiting and retaining members of staff and maintaining and improving their skills through the right training. Members of staff had access to the manager if they had any concerns. A member of staff told us, “I have regular teaching sessions and supervisions and appraisals with the manager and I am able to share concerns with both the manager and the providers because they are both on site. They regularly ask me if I am doing okay and if there are any concerns I have and if any support is needed. My manager has discussed my career development with me and is very keen to support me with my goals. "