Maurice 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 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Without exception everyone told us how kind and caring staff were. We were told, “Considering it’s a care home, it’s amazing”, “Staff are very kind and it’s so safe for me”, “I have never regretted my choice (to move in) and staff are kind. They are genuinely excellent” and, “This place is happiness.”

This was reiterated by relatives who said, “It’s the right place for Mum. It’s a wonderful place. Staff are very caring”, “Dad always says, ‘I am very happy here” and, “It’s quite simply the best care home I’ve visited and the grounds are beautiful.”

We observed extremely kind and attentive interactions between staff and people throughout the day. A staff member was walking with one person back to their room and as they were nearing they said to the person, “Would you like to take a break” as they could see the person was struggling. The person chose to carry out and as they reached their room they said to the care staff, “Can you turn the lights off.” The staff member responded saying, “We’ll turn these off, but we’ll leave these ones on until you get to your bed, so we can see what we’re doing.” This demonstrated the staff member had acknowledged the person’s wishes but recognising the need to ensure their safety.

Staff recognised people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Relative’s felt their family member was treated as an individual. One told us, “All the staff are kind, caring and considerate and tend to her with the patience she needs. We’ve also been very impressed with the activity team who have kept my mum’s interest alive in flower arranging and when possible, baking.” Another said, “They’ve (staff) enabled him to get some quality of life back by providing timely personal care so that he can attend chair exercises every morning and ensure that he can go to the lunchtime quiz.”

We heard a staff member and a person chatting and they told us, “We were just chatting about the trip to Canterbury Cathedral as [person] had a few concerns. We’ve talked it through and [person] is reassured now.”

People’s bedroom doors had memory boxes outside filled with things important to them – family photos, the Queen, football club and pets. People’s rooms were personalised with items which meant something to them, making them individualised and identifiable . Some people were recorded as liking to wear jewellery or makeup and look feminine and we found staff had respected their wishes and supported them with this.

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

Occupational therapist worked on balance and core with people to keep them as independent for as long as possible and people said they were encouraged to retain their independence, with one telling us, “I am very independent. I can shower myself.” Another person said they enjoyed the independence they had but in turn they liked, “The buzz of people being around. It’s company if I need it.”

Staff were mindful of people’s choices and being in control of their care. A staff member said, “We encourage people downstairs in the morning. Staying in your room all day is not a life. For some people it can be a bit too much or sensory overload, so they like to sleep in the afternoon and then may come down again in the evening.”

At lunch time staff were not rushing people into making decisions on what food they would like. They repeated the options slowly and calmly if people needed more time or explanation to decide.

Staff listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Relatives confirmed this with one telling us, “The staff are wonderful, very caring, friendly, patient and extremely hard working. Mum has had a difficult journey in settling in which has been challenging at times for the staff, but they have always managed her with respect and care.” Another relative said, “The staff are very attentive and whenever mum is distressed or requires support they always respond quickly. They frequently check in to see how she is.”

We observed staff respond immediately to call bells in the lodge and to any one in distress, with compassion, sensitivity and dignity. One person started to cry suddenly, when moments earlier they had been smiling. A staff member gave them a hug and told them they were safe, asked them what was upsetting them, offered them cup of tea and held their hand and chatted with them while they were drinking their tea.

The registered manager cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, however restructuring of the workforce was having a detrimental effect on some staff.

Staff told us that although they felt supported, some staff were concerned at the restructuring taking place. One staff member said, “It’s stressful at present” and a relative told us, “Staff seem to be stressed and under pressure.”

However, this was not a widespread feeling amongst the workforce as we did receive positive comments from staff in that they told us, “I feel really supported”, “I feel supported, particularly by my immediate supervisor” and, “There are lists everywhere, like the staff room and on the notice board of who the mental health first aiders are and how to contact them. There is also an employee support and advice line, and you can get counselling support free.”