Archived: White Gates Care Centre

During our inspection we saw that people were treated with dignity and respect. Each person we spoke with confirmed that this was generally the case. One person told us that the staff were 'Very good here.' Another person told us that staff 'Always treat me with respect' and described some staff as 'Excellent' in their approach. One relative we spoke with told us that staff ensured dignity for their relative and described staff as 'Very attentive.'

We saw that systems to promote dignity and respect and choice had been strengthened. For example, residents were included on a working group for reviewing how people would like the home to be run.

We also saw that 'Dignity champions' were in place whose role was to ensure that dignity was always promoted in all aspects of care.

We spoke with six people who used the service, including their relatives. We conducted observations throughout the visit, looked at records and spoke with five staff including the new manager of the service.

Most people we spoke with told us that staff treated them with respect and this is what we saw throughout our visit. People also told us that they always felt safe in the home. However, during the inspection we identified some concerns in relation to respect and dignity of people which were discussed with the manager. For example, one person described that they felt 'Told off.' Another person described the 'Poor attitude' of some staff when people had called for assistance.

People told us that their consent was always obtained before carrying out any personal care. We were told that people enjoyed a range of activities.

Most people were positive about the care they received and several people told us that most of the staff were 'Very good.'

We saw that there were improvements in supporting staff, such as regular appraisals and staff meetings. Staff we spoke with were enthusiastic about supporting people and told us that they felt well supported by the staff team.

There were some improvements in record keeping, such as staff records and the service had started to implement a new care plan system to improve care plan recordkeeping.

We spoke with three people who used the service and seven of their relatives and friends, some of whom we spoke with by telephone after the visit. We conducted observations throughout the visit and spoke with seven staff and one volunteer.

Most people told us that they or their relative were treated with respect. One person said that staff were 'Wonderful.' Another person desribed staff as 'Very nice and friendly.'

One person told us 'I can't speak highly enough about the staff.' However, some people expressed concerns that there were frequent delays in waiting for care and two people told us that they had not been involved in reviewing care.

We found that there were some improvements in relation to supervising staff, despite this not all staff felt supported, particularly in relation to recent staff changes.

People expressed satisfaction that they were listened to if they had a complaint, but concerns were expressed that they had needed to complain more often.

We found that medicines were well managed, but some staff and care records were not always well maintained.