Alban House Residential 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 we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 70 (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 treat people with kindness, empathy and compassion, or respect their privacy and dignity.

Improvements had been made to ensure people received kind, compassionate and dignified care from staff. However, there still was evidence of undignified terminology being used on occasions. For example, a description of staff supporting people to have their meal. This was continually being addressed through closer management oversight; spot checks and staff being encouraged to reflect on their communication through supervision and reflective practice notes. These improvements needed to be sustained and embedded in practice.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect when helping them with daily living tasks.

Staff told us how they maintained people’s privacy and dignity when assisting with personal care. For example, asking what support they required before providing care and explaining what needed to be done so that the person knew what was happening.

We saw staff treating people with kindness. They respected people’s choices, for example they knew who liked to keep their room doors open and who did not.

Staff were calm, focused, and attentive to people’s emotions and support needs such as sensory sensitivities. Staff members showed warmth and respect when interacting with people.

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.

Care plans contained information about people’s history, which provided a timeline of significant events, such as their physical and mental health. This helped staff to provide appropriate, individualised care and support. A 'this is me' document had been introduced and displayed in people's bedrooms, which further enhanced person-centred care. ‘This is me’ provides information about a person and can help health and social care professionals to build a better understanding of who the person really is.

Staff knew people well and provided care and support which was person-centred and took account of their needs, wishes and preferences.

We saw staff treating people as individuals in line with their personal, cultural, social, and religious beliefs. Staff ensured full consideration of people’s relevant protected characteristics.

Throughout our visits we saw staff involving people in their care and allowing them time to make their wishes known. People’s individual wishes were acted upon, such as how they wanted to spend their time.

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

People confirmed they were able to remain as independent as possible.

When staff engaged with people, they asked them if they needed any support, even if they were known to be independent, to ensure they felt cared for. People were encouraged to remain as mobile as possible.

Throughout our visits we saw people being encouraged by staff to be independent. For example, whilst moving around the home, and eating independently with the aid of adaptations where assessed as needed.

People were supported to maintain relationships and networks that were important to them, this included access to their friends and family.

There was a range of appropriate equipment to support and maximise people’s independence and outcomes.

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 felt staff responded to their needs in a timely manner.

Staff knew people well and could recognise if a person was worried or unhappy. This meant any concerns about people’s well-being could be identified and followed up.

We observed staff were present and accessible to people and responded promptly when people required their support. A staff member commented, “We are focused on providing support and care.”

Call bells were not ringing for long periods of time during our visits.

Staff were alert to people’s needs and took time to observe, communicate and engage people in discussions about their immediate needs.

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

The provider had instilled a culture of care in which staff truly valued and promoted people’s individuality, protected their rights, and enabled them to develop and flourish. This had been addressed through changes to the management structure; staff meetings and supervisions and greater oversight from the provider.

Changes to the management structure had ensured leaders were visible within the service; were approachable and took a genuine interest in what people, staff, family, and other professionals had to say.

The provider promoted equality and diversity in all aspects of the running of the service.