Templemore Care Home

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 using our previous methodology we rated this key question good.

At this assessment the rating has changed to requires improvement. This meant people did not always feel well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect.

This service scored 55 (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 did not always ensure people’s dignity and privacy was respected and were treated kindness and empathy.

Most relatives spoke positively about the kindness and care shown by staff. However, a relative told us about an incident when their family member’s dignity had been compromised whilst out in the community and felt staff showed no care or considered taking a spare set of clothes. Another relative said, “At the weekend if she has spilt something on her clothes it doesn't get changed as quickly as it would in the week.” We therefore found staff’s ability to maintain people’s dignity could vary. We shared this with the provider to address.

People told us staff treated them with kindness and respect and our observations confirmed this. A person said, “All the staff are lovely; the carers and domestics always pop in to check I'm alright and we have a chat, but don't really see the manager.”

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 told us staff respected their wishes and chose how they spent their time. A person told us they do join in the daily activities and added, “I like reading the daily newspaper to keep up to date with what's happening in the world.” Staff were able to demonstrate they knew and understood people’s needs, routines and preferences well. Care plans included people’s interests, diverse backgrounds and abilities. Our observations during our inspection, and feedback from relatives, confirmed this.

The provider did not always promote people’s independence, so people did not always know their rights and have choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People had access to a range of activities within the service and outings in the local community. The activities staff member told us about the group and individual activities and shared the weekly programme. They told us, “We have a company car, we can take 3 people, with a wheelchair or stroller [walking aid] in the boot. Last year we did a coach trip to the seaside, this year we are planning a canal boat.” We saw people spending time as they wished to, for instance, watching tv in their bedroom or reading the daily newspaper. A person setting the tables for lunch told us they often visited a fellow resident and enjoys the organised activities. Another person said, “I like sketching and painting. I love drawing” and “I would like some of my drawings up on the wall” but bedroom walls were bare. This was shared with the provider to address.

Feedback from relatives was mostly positive about the activities. All said they were able to visit without restrictions. A relative said, “It’s beautiful there a lovely garden. They encourage them to paint. A real dog person she loves the therapy dogs going in.” Relatives told us staffing levels impacted on their family member’s ability to remain independent and have control over their lives.

The provider did not always listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment or act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

A person told us, “If I was to use my call bell now no one would come. It's not their fault, they are overrun, they have not got enough staff to cope.” Call bell responses were monitored however, when call bells were not answered within the required timeframe people were left waiting for a period of time. The provider gave assurance they were taking action to ensure there was adequate staffing levels, but improved oversight of call bell responses was needed.

Staff told us that low staffing levels sometimes impacted their ability to respond quickly. A staff member said, “Call bells are constant, upsetting residents, the handheld vibrates too. The sound was switched on by the manager due to the high number of falls, it's sending everyone insane, keeping people awake and impacting on morale. It has not reduced the falls, [Person] is having more falls.” Our observations during the inspection visit found that staff’s ability to be responsive to people’s needs could vary. For instance, 3 people were still sat in the dining room after lunch waiting for staff to support them. They were unable to call for assistance and relied on the cook passing by to alert the care staff. There was only 1 staff member available due to a medical emergency, which meant the 3 people had to wait even longer. We shared this with the provider to address.

We observed staff checking on people in their bedroom as they passed by. When a person showed signed of distress, we saw a staff member reassured them and treated them with compassion.

The provider did not always care about and promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not always support or enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

Some staff told us they felt unappreciated and not valued or treated fairly. Staff told us there had been occasions when the service was not safe so they did not take breaks, but this was not always recognised. Staff comments included, “So much has happened we have lost excellent staff” and “Long term staff retired and did not get any recognition from the company, not even a card.” Whilst most staff reported this, we did receive some positive comments about the support from the provider and the senior management team. This was shared with the provider, and they told us work was underway to improve the culture and support for staff to enable them to do their job well.