Chalfont Lodge

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 80 (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 caring. Comments included, “The staff all know me, and they treat me very well and keep me going with tea and cakes”, “Everyone is very nice to me here” and “I like being here, the staff are wonderful. If you need help, someone is always available with help and a smile.”

Staff were kind, respectful and patient. We observed staff respecting people’s privacy by knocking on bedroom doors and greeting people warmly.

Staff spoke with care and compassion about the people they supported and demonstrated a shared commitment to providing good care. One staff member told us, “I am a trainer for dignity and respect. I like to carry out scenario training styles when possible. I ensure staff know how they are to address people and label people, this is so important to a person’s identity and respecting them.”

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 staff understood people’s preferences and wishes. Care plan’s contained good information to support staff to ensure people’s needs and preferences were understood. There were detailed individual plans which gave a holistic picture of the person.

One person told us, “I have a plan, individual to me. The staff know it, I do not feel I am just another number.”

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

People who had the capacity to choose felt they had control over day-to-day choices. The provider and staff had built up good relationships with families, so they had a good understanding of what preferences people might like, even when they were unable to choose themselves.

Care planning set out people’s preferences in terms of where they wanted to receive care, where possible. A member of staff spoke about choices people made. They said, “We [staff] let residents [people] make their own decisions where they can, what to wear or what to eat.”

One person told us, “I can see that the Home are very ambitious with all their activities but, just as important, they always respect my isolation needs and choices”.

The provider was exceptional in how they 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.

The home provided a physiotherapy service that responded to people’s needs to support positive outcomes for people. For example, 1 person we spoke with told us, “I’m not in pain now, the Physio team here have done wonders and I have got all my mobility back too, and no pain- I am back walking and every day, my hands are getting better and I am happy to think about going home now at some stage. I think I am getting closer. The physio team here have been extraordinary.”

Records confirmed the physiotherapy team had responded to many people’s needs. For example, another person lost their ability to write following a fall. We were shown an example of this person’s handwriting following treatment. This person told us, “I spent my professional life writing, after my fall I asked my physio if I could get my hand back. ‘Yes’ they said. Now, I have done a little writing, I am so delighted, so delighted, I never thought that I would get that opportunity, everything is going so well and I feel blessed.”

When people changed their minds, for instance at mealtimes, or choosing where they wanted to spend their time, staff were responsive to this. Staff were patient and helped people communicate their needs. Throughout our visit we observed staff responding to people promptly, treating them with kindness and compassion whilst respecting their wishes.

A member of staff spoke about their approach to responding to people’s needs. They said, “The more we [staff] know, the more person centred our care can be. We want every encounter to be positive. Care plans are updated monthly, as a minimum, however, these are often updated much more regularly as residents [people’s] needs change.”
 

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

The provider operated a programme called ‘Spark’. This was Barchester's comprehensive wellbeing service for staff and included, Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) counselling, child mental health support, financial and legal advice and online physiotherapy. We saw ‘Well-being Champions’ regularly signpost staff to these services, ensuring support was readily accessible ‘when staff experience stress, anxiety, burnout, or personal difficulties.’

Staff achievements were celebrated through ‘Employee of the Month’ awards, care awards and a staff lottery.

Staff felt well supported by leaders. One staff member said, “I am well supported here, and the management really do listen to us.” Another said, “The manager is very supportive I can see them any time. Yes, they provide really good guidance and support.”

The provider recognised and acted on the recruitment and retention challenges faced in social care. They did everything practicable to ensure the staff they employed understood the benefits and challenges of working in social care.

New staff received appropriate induction, supervision, training and support from experienced staff.