Hunters Care Centre

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 service 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 changed to outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (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.

There was a very welcoming friendly atmosphere at the service. We observed people were relaxed around staff; they were smiling and chatting with them. One person said, “It was my decision to come here. It's such a friendly place here. Everybody is nice and kind, they all speak to you, everyone knows your name, they are all lovely.”

Overall, people spoke highly of all the staff working at the service; not just the care staff and nurses, but other staff such as the maintenance person, the activities co-ordinator and the chef. People told us staff were, “like friends”, “lovely” and “very good.”

One relative told us, “The staff are very friendly, caring and kind. We feel we have a good relationship with them. They are vigilant and communicative.”

The service had designated a dignity champion who told us their role was to make sure people were treated right, with dignity and care.

A healthcare professional told us,“Hunters is the only care home where I have this kind of collaborative, trusting relationship. It is the only home I would feel confident entrusting with this level of joint working and flexibility. I have found the team at Hunters to be proactive, communicative, and focused on patient wellbeing. I trust their ability to support residents with compassion,professionalism, and a genuine commitment to person-centred care.”

Another healthcare professional working with the people living at the service told us about their observations, “Walking around the home in between clients I always see staff helping residents, chatting with them, taking them for walks, and tending to them when they are calling - and this isn’t only the care staff, every member of staff no matter what department takes time in engaging with the residents. My own personal experience with the staff and how they treat me, again is positive. I am always welcomed through the door to a smiley face and a choice of a hot or cold beverage. The staff are always very respectful when I am giving treatments and do not disrupt unless needed. They are also happy to help me if I need any assistance.”

The service treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The service took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Care plans provided information for staff on people’s lives before they moved to the service. Records included information such as how people liked to spend their time, their preferred music and television tastes.

People told us staff asked them about their lives prior to moving to the service. Several people told us how important it was to them that staff knew their names, and how it made them feel. One person said, “All the staff know everyone’s names. I really don’t know how they do it.”

One of the activities coordinators told us people had “getting to know me” books in place which were reviewed every 6 months. These included details such as routines, past jobs, interests, lifestyle, religious believes, what made people happy. They also told us the created a “wishing tree” for people to express something special they would like to do. For example, one person wanted to go back to where they grew up therefore, they were supported to do this, so their wish came true.

The service had ‘resident ambassadors’ whose role was to listen and share any feedback, make suggestions heard, and support new people moving to the service. One of the ambassadors told us they supported new people who moved in to settle in by discussing, for example, anything they are not sure about such as what to do if they are not feeling well and any other worries they might have. The registered manager said ambassadors play a key role in, for example, spending time talking to the new admissions and inviting them to activities.

During our site visits, we heard extremely enthusiastic comments about a board game which was very popular among people, staff, relatives and other visitors. This was built by one of the people living at the service. They brought the game into the service, and this became one of the most popular activities. They told us this gave them a purpose in life and were enthusiastic about plans to build other games. The person reminisced about when they took it around local events and raised money for charity by charging people to play. Through a case study, the service told us the game enabled people to socialise, stay active and have a good time around it even if they did not play.

We visited a person’s bedroom which was highly personalised to replicate the environment and glamourous décor the person had at home. When the person first started living at the service, they were cared for in bed, but due to the adjustments to their environment, they were now independent and support to take positive risks which improved their quality of life significantly.

Another person told us about their special birthday celebrations which were organised by their family with the support of the service. They told us the family organised a concert for them and everyone came to join. They explained they used to be a singer and had a few tears in their eyes as many of the songs were the ones they used to sing.

One relative told us, “The care my [relative] receives is outstanding. The staff know my [relative] well and adjust [their] care plan to suit changes in [their] health. They all know [their] habits, likes and dislikes.”

The service was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Care plans we looked at informed staff how much people could do for themselves and when they needed staff support. For example, when being supported with personal hygiene, some people were able to wash themselves up to a point and then needed staff to help them. When people were able to shave themselves, this was documented. This meant people were encouraged to maintain as much independence as possible. One person said, “I wash and dress myself; it's getting more difficult, but at the moment I can cope. I'm trying to be as independent as possible, and the staff are respecting that. They know I'll call them if I need anything.”

The activity coordinators met with people on a regular basis to discuss their interests and what they would like to partake in. People were engaged in a wide range of activities and events which enhanced their wellbeing. One person told us, “[Staff name], has taken over the activities a while ago and he has made everything brilliant. The singing and the general feeling of camaraderie, makes me feel safe and so good.”

The service took great pride in their Life Enrichment framework and shared with us the very positive impact various activities had on people. They evidenced through a case study the excellent outcomes people benefited from the Knitting Club. This was created at the initiative of a few people who chose to knit bonding squares for premature babies being looked after by the NHS. The club had provided people with creative outlet, social interaction, sense of purpose and even improved mood for some people. We saw evidence of the amazing praise people received from NHS trusts and an article written in the local newspaper. During one of our site visits we observed a high number of people feeling engaged by this club and the vibrant atmosphere it was creating in the service.

Another recent event the service considered a great success in all aspects, from planning and preparation to delivery, was this year’s summer fete. They told us it, “was an excellent event where people shared experiences, promoted celebration of life and inclusion, brought the community together and enriched the lives of those who participated.” The event also raised impressive interest on social media.

People told us they had access to a range of activities, and we saw the program of activities on display in the main entrance and in people’s bedrooms. People told us they were able to choose to participate in activities if they wanted to and could make suggestions for different things to do. One person said, “We do exercises, tomorrow is a piano concert, there is crossword club on Friday. Almost every day there is a group activity. Nothing on a Sunday though. They do ask if we want to do anything different, but you wouldn’t be frightened to ask.” Another person said, “I go to the singing, holy communion fortnightly, and I've started knitting which is nice. The gardens are nice; it's a lovely place to walk around.”

A relative told us, “[Person] moved into Hunters Care Center 3 years. To begin with, [person] was very anxious, [person] was very depressed. The activities team and the care staff have encouraged [person] to join several events including trips. [Person] expressed that [they] found [their] place and [they] decided to remain at Hunters permanently. It was nice to see that [they] made friends and now when we are visiting, we always need to consider the events list as [they] doesn't want to miss anything. We couldn't ask for more, Hunters staff has not only supported our [relative] but also helped us to get our family life back. “

A healthcare professional told us, “Hunters demonstrates a thoughtful and person-centred approach, balancing safety with promoting independence. For example, staff are flexible when it comes to mobility changes throughout the day, allowing a resident to use an assistive aid in the morning/evening, and then step transfer when more alert mid day, which enables progress whilst always maintaining safety.”

Another healthcare professional told us, “The home itself always seems to have lots of entertainment for the residents. The residents living with dementia look well cared for.”

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff respond to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff monitored people’s health and escalated concerns appropriately. They used a national early warning score tool to help them recognise and determine when to escalate clinical concerns.

We observed staff interacting with people at lunchtime in a responsive and caring way. We spent time in the dining area of one of the Memory Lane units and observed staff talking to people in a calm manner, kneeling at the person’s eye level when conversing, checking in with people and provided encouragement as well as hand on support as needed. When one person wanted to leave the table mid meal, staff went along with them to provide any required support.

During our conversation with one of the auxiliary staff, the emergency call bell went off, the staff member went to attend, on return they explained to us that all first aid trained staff respond to emergency and that they returned as there were enough care and nursing staff dealing with the situation.

One healthcare professional told us, “The lead nurse knows all residents of the top of her head, which is really impressive, and she knows all the quirks about them. Whenever I have a query about a resident, she knows the answer straight away without even consulting their record. All staff seem to be very passionate and friendly, that is from manager to nurse to receptionist, chef and maintenance keeping.”

The service always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff felt supported by the management team. Various development opportunities were available internally to all staff. For example, the activities coordinator passionately talked their development journey in the service which they were very proud of and stated, “I have the best job in the world”. Another staff told us about their journey of becoming a care practitioner, and about what development opportunities were available to them following this.

The provider was offering a professional development program for chefs which was designed to improve menus, produce used, knowledge and customer service. One of the chefs in the service was, at the time of the inspection, undertaking this program.

The service had number of staff which were fulfilling champion roles in various areas, such as medicines, nutrition and hydration, tissue viability. They main purpose was to promote good practice in the service, work with staff to improve this and be a point of call in case a relative had a question. Additional training was provided to champions, for example, the falls prevention champion received training from the local authority.

There were also 2 wellbeing champions in place. Their role was to support and guide staff in the service as it was recognised that not everyone wanted to discuss wellbeing concerns with the manager. The provider was offering incentives such as access to other benefits such as a mobile phone application with resources for wellbeing, GP priority access, health and hospital plans and occupational therapy.

The service evidenced through cases studies the positive impact on staff members following the exceptional support they provided, including flexible working and workplace adjustments.

For example, when one staff member required support due to personal circumstances, the registered manager offered time off, sought financial assistance from senior leadership, and guided them to wellbeing resources. On return, workplace adjustments were implemented to ease transition back to work. Staff collectively supported reduce role demands and reinforce their value. As a result, the staff member felt emotionally supported and empowered to focus on their wellbeing, ultimately resuming their role with confidence and taking on development opportunities.