Thornford Park

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

This means we looked for evidence that the service involved patients 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.

Good: This meant patients were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

We always treat patients with kindness, empathy and compassion and we respect their privacy and dignity. We treat colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

All interactions we witnessed between staff and patients were discreet, respectful and responsive, providing patients with help, emotional support and advice at the time they needed it.

Staff supported patients to understand and manage their care, treatment or condition. For example, we saw evidence of therapy staff using a psycho- educational approach to explaining distress.

Staff directed patients to other services when appropriate and, if required, supported them to access those services. For example, we saw evidence of patients being signposted to advocacy services and faith support.

Patients said staff treated them well and behaved appropriately towards them. Patients said staff understood their individual needs including their personal, cultural, social and religious needs.

Staff said they could raise concerns about disrespectful, discriminatory or abusive behaviour or attitudes towards patients without fear of being victimised.

Staff maintained the confidentiality of information about patients.

We treat patients as individuals and make sure their care, support and treatment meets their needs and preferences, taking account of their strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

The service made adjustments for disabled patients. For example, by ensuring disabled patients could access the premises and by meeting patients specific communication needs.

Staff ensured that patients could obtain information on treatments, local services, patients rights and how to complain. We saw posters advertising how to contact CQC, advocacy and mental health act solicitors displayed on both wards.

Staff said when needed they made information leaflets available in languages spoken by the patients admitted to the wards.

Managers ensured that staff and patients had easy access to interpreters and/or signers. We saw evidence of interpreters being used for ward reviews. Evidence of this was recorded in care plans.

Patients had a choice of food to meet the dietary requirements of religious and ethnic groups and to account for allergies and intolerances. For example, we saw evidence of a person being supported to observe Ramadan, they were able to have foodat the appropriate time to meet their religious beliefs.

Staff ensured that patients had access to appropriate spiritual support. We saw evidence of a priest and Iman visiting the wards regularly.

We promote patients independence, so they know their rights and have choice and control over their own care, treatment. and wellbeing.

Patients were empowered to make decisions and given appropriate information to do so by staff. For example information about medication was shared by staff and patients were encouraged to ask questions and access sources of support and advice. Staff checked that information was given in an accessible way that met the needs of the person.

We listen to and understand patients’ needs, views and wishes. We respond to these in that moment and will act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff were understanding and showed empathy when interacting with patients. Staff were sensitive and respectful to patients’ needs. We saw evidence of completed positive behaviour support plans (PBS) written with patients to help staff understand how to help them when in distress.

Staff were trained and skilled in verbal de-escalation techniques.

Staff used de-escalation techniques to reduce the need for physical interventions when patient’s behaviours became heightened. For example, when reviewing CCTV of incidents we saw staff using appropriate verbal de- escalation skills to reduce distress and risk.

We care about and promote the wellbeing of our staff, and we support and enable them to always deliver person centred care.

Staff said they felt respected, supported and valued in their roles.

Staff felt positive and valued the good teamwork and peer support on the wards.

Staff had access to support for their own physical and emotional health needs through an occupational health service and employee assistance helpline. Staff who had used these services said they found them helpful.

The service’s staff sickness and absence rate across the hospital was 6%.

The provider recognised staff success within the service – for example, through staff awards.

Staff appraisals included conversations about career development and how it could be supported. Staff felt there were good opportunities for career progression throughout the organisation including nurse training sponsorship for HCAs.