The Belmont

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 and relatives spoke positively about the care and support provided. Comments included, “The staff are amazing” and “If I can’t be in my own home, then this is where I want to be”. Staff understood how to promote people’s privacy and dignity, and they described examples of how they did this. We observed several positive interactions in both group and 1-1 settings. As part of our assessment, we spoke with health professionals supporting the services. One professional told us, “Staff are always welcoming, friendly and helpful”.

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 plans provided staff with information on people’s life histories, including, occupation, family, interests and hobbies. Some people we spoke with told us how staff had engaged them in their specific interests or past occupations. One person told us they used to be a florist, and staff asked them to help choose plants for the garden. They told us how much they loved being involved. People were supported to continue practicing their religion in accordance with their beliefs. We saw people attending a church service during our visit, these were held regularly.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People were supported to maintain relationships which were important to them and we observed people receive visitors throughout the day. One person told us they used an electronic tablet to keep in touch with friends and relatives. Staff arranged assessments for equipment to promote independence, such as providing mobility aids to help people remain independently mobile. A range of activities and outings were planned and shared with people so they could choose what they wanted to do. Some people preferred to spend time in their room, their decision was respected. One relative described how the housekeeper actively supported their family member by involving them in cleaning their room, which they found meaningful. People were able to choose where they wanted to eat. One person said, “I like to have my breakfast in my room, but I have lunch and dinner in the dining room”.

Staff did not always listen to or understand people’s needs, views, and wishes, and they sometimes failed to respond promptly to people’s immediate needs or act to reduce discomfort, concern, or distress. During a mealtime observation, we identified instances where staff failed to respond to behaviours that indicated a need for support or assistance. We shared these findings with the registered manager, who shortly after our visit confirmed they had delivered additional training and carried out further observations with staff following our feedback. Despite our findings people told us staff responded quicky to their needs most of the time, but some did say there could be delays during the busier times of day. The registered manager told us they carried out regular checks to ensure call bells were answered in a timely manner. If they had any concerns about response times they would discuss this with staff. People said they felt listened to. One person told us, “I can voice things, they [staff] act on things as quick as they can”.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff. They actively supported staff wellbeing by implementing systems that offered access to support, including an external resource providing practical advice on issues that could affect their wellbeing. Staff told us they felt listened to and had opportunities to speak with their manager about their role or any concerns they had. One staff member told us, “There is support for staff, the office door is always open, and the manager and deputy manager are approachable”. Regular team meetings were held for all staff, during which discussions took place about the service’s performance and recognition was given for staff achievement. A staff handbook containing information on policies and support was issued to all employees when they began working at the service.