Wansbeck 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 the last inspection this key question was rated good. At this inspection this key question 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.

Staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. One professional said, “Staff show genuine care and understanding for their residents and really demonstrate they understand and support their individuality and individual needs. They are caring and thorough.”

Staff 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.

Care plans reflected information on individuals and their personal and family history. It included personal preferences and interests of what was important to them. Activities were individualised to reflect personal interests and hobbies. Bedrooms were personalised with posters, photographs and decorated with people’s choice of décor. At mealtimes people could choose to eat at home or go out to eat. During our inspection we observed 2 people going out to eat at different venues of their own choosing, whilst others chose to have their meal at Wansbeck House.

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

People were encouraged and supported to remain as independent as possible. For example, one person was encouraged to eat independently, with staff putting food on the spoon and handing it to the person. Staff where patient and gave time and positive encouragement without the person feeling rushed.

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.

The staff knew people and their needs very well. Staff were observed responding in a timely manner when a person was becoming agitated and wanted some personal space. The staff spoke calmly and gently, suggesting the person’s bedroom would be suitable with staff being able to observe and support without encroaching on their personal space.

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

New employees were supported by having training and shadowing opportunities prior to being permitted to work on their own. Training was completed both via face to face and e-learning sessions. Staff had regular supervisions with the deputy manager and felt comfortable to discuss any issues or concerns. Staff said they did not as feel as confident approaching the new manager about any issues or concerns due to their lack of presence within the building, and difficulties in contacting them. Staff commented that this lack of engagement from the manager often impacted on the deputy manager and senior care staff, often resulting in them having to deal with issues. A staff member commented, “Lately when raising concerns within Wansbeck around staffing and residents and how staff are struggling etc, nothing changes. It's all a lot of words and emails but nothing changes, and staff are still struggling.” This was discussed with senior management, and they were aware of the issues of supporting staff with the introduction of a new manager and have measures in place to manage this. They commented “Whilst we recognise that some challenges in team dynamics, such as natural 'storming and forming' of relationships, can occur during probationary periods, these are expected aspects of team development and are monitored closely.”