Mary 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 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 demonstrated genuine empathy for the people they care for. Families and health professionals felt people were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day-to-day care and support. Relatives told us, “The staff are all very nice, polite and cheerful, they do treat us all with respect,” and “Dedicated staff, respectful, lovely surroundings, could not pick a better place for my loved one to live.”

Health professionals told us that staff knew people well and were caring and kind. One said, “I am always impressed by the staff, they know the people they support really well, they are respectful and courteous.” Another comment made was, “They will ask for advice in good time, which manages risks to peoples’ health, I think because they know people well, they pick up when things are not quite right, early.”

We observed staff showing humour, kindness and compassion for people they were supporting. Staff assisted people calmly and kindly and distracted them when they were anxious. All but one used a wheelchair consistently and staff knelt or sat beside people when chatting so they had good eye contact and could be heard easily. Staff were thoughtful and kind when assisting with meals, activities or moving around the home, and ensured their clothing was suitable for the weather and to protect their dignity.

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.

Relatives told us, “Very happy with everything, the team are very approachable, the care here is what they agreed, so we are very happy, positive changes have been made.”
Staff told us they took into account people’s lifestyle choices and respected those choices. One staff member said, “We know peoples’ favourite things, what they like, families are very involved in all discussions and reviews, we use favourite colours and clothes and their love for sparkles in daily care.”

Staff knew people and their life histories very well and understood their likes and dislikes. Care plans were specific to each person and there were policies that put people at the centre of their care and treated them as individuals. People’s electronic care plans were up to date, personalised and contained detailed information about their strengths, weaknesses likes and dislikes, and how they preferred staff to meet their care needs and wishes. These were updated regularly and when people’s needs changed.

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 be as independent as possible, for example, drinking independently with staff oversight without compromising their safety. One person would only drink from a specific type of bottle, designed for very young people. When discussed staff could tell us of the rationale, and how they had explored different drinking vessels, to encourage independent drinking and discussed various options with family and health professionals.

We observed people and saw that staff discussed options with people before taking them to different activities or areas of the home. A relative told us, “Yes, I believe they get choice, not maybe as other people do, but if they don’t want to eat one meal an alternative is offered, the same with drinks, if you ask them something and they don’t want it or do something their expression will tell you. Staff know them and respect that, they also know them so well they won’t offer or give them something they don’t like.” The registered manager described how people’s choices were respected and their independence promoted, “It’s hard to get the right balance because all but one of our people are non-verbal and so staff have to interpret reactions, facial changes, but we could report better on that.”

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 were observed closely, and their needs were responded to by a staff team that knew them well.

Relatives told us, “They respond quickly when my loved one has been poorly, they keep us informed of what’s happening, we are grateful for this as it reduces my anxiety.” and “Very quick to identify a problem, especially as my loved one is prone to infections, they always get in touch, and the GP is involved.”

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

The provider and management team had worked hard over the past year to introduce ways of supporting staff. Each staff member had regular supervisions, and the management team had an open-door policy to support staff.

All staff we spoke with told us of a supportive management team that provided them with the support and training they needed to be able to provide the best care for people. Comments from staff included, “I feel supported,” “If I had a problem, I could go to the manager and know I would be listened to,” and “I can speak with them (Management team) anytime.” The service provided an on-call system that meant that staff could call a manager at any time for support if needed. The registered manager told us about staff social events that were laid on to allow staff to bond out of work and to strengthen their feeling of support.