St Josephs Nursing 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 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.

People told us staff were kind and helpful. Staff we spoke to were happy to work at the home and said that the staff team was usually helpful, for example covering shifts or when asked for assistance. Staff had good relationships with people and people felt at home. A person told us, “I came back from mass and found this box of chocolates from the cleaners. We get a gift from the home on Christmas day.” And a staff member said, “We really care about the residents.”

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.

Staff knew people well and people’s likes and dislikes, for example around meals, were discussed and recorded to ensure people were able to feel at home. The newly appointed activities coordinator told us there were plans to ensure everyone had access to activities they enjoyed. Many people at the home liked the religious aspect, however staff were happy to support people of all faiths or none. The registered manager told us how they catered for people to continue with skills they enjoyed, for example one person was able to continue his hobby of carving.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.
People were able to live as independently as they pleased. In the past the home had a strict policy on visiting times, but the manager told us this was now relaxed. People could receive visitors at any time. Staff said. “Visitors can come when they like although there are some rules. When I started there were no morning visits allowed at all.” And the registered manager said, “Visitors are asked to come after 10:30am, but they can come earlier if necessary.”
People were able to request privacy during visits. Staff were on hand to support people if they wished to go out. While people knew they could ask for this support in theory, in practice they did not ask to go out very often. Staff were not proactive at suggesting people express their desires for activities. A person said, “I use a wheelchair outside. I don't go out often. I don't like to take staff away, there aren't so many in the afternoon. I know they would, but I don’t want to trouble them.”
The registered manager told us, “People might want to go out, if they do staff help. And the activities coordinator said, “Not everyone has relatives so it’s up to us to provide [social activities]. We took a person out for their birthday and they loved 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.
Staff knew people well, and listened to them to ensure they were able to minimise any distress. A staff member told us it was important to know people so they could recognise if a person might be ill. They said, “If we think someone isn’t their usual self, they might be confused, then it could be an infection, we tell the nurse in charge.”
People told us staff responded as quickly as they could and cared about their wellbeing. A person said. “Staff chat with me daily to see how things are.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.
Staff were happy to work at the home and told us it was a good place to work. The registered manager explained how they employed staff based on their values, and staff were expected to be calm and kind. A staff member said, “I get on well with the carers, they are very friendly.” And another said, “I like looking after the residents, they are all lovely. It’s calm here. I like my job. I feel the sense I’m doing something good.”
People noticed staff morale, a person said, “The staff are all nice and very kind to you.”