Foresters 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 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.

Staff always treated people with kindness, compassion and dignity. People and relatives spoke positively about staff attitudes and the warmth of interactions. One relative explained, “They (staff) have a little joke in [Name]’s own way. They give her a hug.” Staff were observed supporting people respectfully and people appeared relaxed and comfortable in their presence. Privacy was maintained when people received care and support.

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 always treated people as individuals and took account of their personal preferences. Staff demonstrated good knowledge of people and described adapting their approach to meet individual needs. One relative told us, “Sometimes they [staff] go in and [Name] tells them to go away. They walk away and come back later. They do the right thing.” We saw people supported in ways that reflected their interests, abilities and personal routines. However, we observed very limited personalisation on bedroom doors with signage throughout the home focused primarily on providing staff with instructions, rather than aiding people to navigate their home. We provided feedback to the registered manager who confirmed they would review this.

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

Staff supported people to have choice, control and independence. Staff encouraged people to make everyday decisions and respected their wishes when they declined support. People were supported to remain as independent as possible, including accessing areas of the home and the community independently when safe to do so. Staff described offering alternatives when people did not want the planned activities or support. This supported people to retain control over their daily lives.

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’s immediate needs were generally responded to, and staff were available to provide care, reassurance and support when required. However, the quality and timeliness of responses were inconsistent, and practice was sometimes ‑task focused. For example, the mealtime experience during the first day of inspection meant some people were offered support or food without explanation, choice or engagement. This had improved on our second inspection day. We observed staff recognised when someone was cold and reacted by getting them a blanket to ensure their comfort. One person was observed not to be eating as usual and staff immediately responded, checking how they felt and making them comfortable.

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

The provider supported workforce wellbeing and enabled staff to do their jobs effectively. Some staff had been provided with flexible working arrangements which supported their work life balance. Staff spoke positively about management support and felt able to raise concerns. One staff member told us, “Management are good and you can always go to them.” Improvements to staff facilities, including new staff rooms, demonstrated investment in staff wellbeing and helped staff take appropriate breaks during shifts. The provider planned to enhance workforce benefits schemes following a planned consultation.