Heatherdale Residential 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 previous inspection, we rated this key question good. At this inspection, 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 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

People and relatives spoke positively about the caring nature of staff. A relative said, “They are really, really good. They are caring and put themselves out for the residents.” A health and social care professional also said, “The care team from my point of view are like family and care for the residents as if they were their own family.”

People’s dignity was promoted. A relative told us, “She had a catheter, they phoned me and asked if I could get her some trousers which were more dignified. They bring a towel when emptying the catheter to be discrete.” A health and social care professional said, “Staff are conscious about the dignity of residents.”

Health and social care professionals told us staff also treated them with kindness and respect. A health professional said, “The staff in Heatherdale from cleaners to carers to senior carers, cooks and management are very welcoming to my staff. I have observed on numerous occasions how they greet family members of residents too in a very friendly way.”

Staff treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care and support met their needs and preferences.

There was a consistent team of staff. People and relatives spoke positively about the person-centred care which was provided. A relative told us, “It's the whole holistic approach. The home has a warm gentle feel, [relative] is really happy here. They take care of him and are respectful.”

Staff promoted people’s independence. A relative told us, “He is self-sufficient and has the same routine he had at home. Things he can’t do like meals they do for him - they let him get on with things he can do.”

People were supported to see their family and friends. There were no restrictions on visiting. A relative said, “They are very flexible, I come at all hours.”

People’s social needs were met. A lifestyle coordinator was employed. She spoke enthusiastically about her role and meeting people’s social needs. Relatives and people spoke positively about the planned activities. A relative said, “The staff are gentle with the residents and considerate. The residents fit together well, I have visited other care homes, this one is a nice place and they are well looked after. The activities are at a nice level and are not forced on the residents.” A health and social care professional told us, “I have found at most of my visits there is some form of external person attending to do activities such as chairobics, singing etc, which is really nice to see.”

Staff 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.

We observed positive interactions between people and all staff. They responded to people’s needs in a timely manner.

Relatives spoke positively about the responsiveness of staff. A relative told us, “Yes, they are responsive to her needs. They get to know the residents, they know what they like and dislike. If someone needs cheering up they will try different things, like music. They remember who needs help and support.”

Health and social care professionals also spoke positively about the responsiveness of staff. A health and social care professional said, “[Name of manager] and her team are very proactive with trialling interventions such as pain relief etc to identify if this is a cause of change in behaviour. Additionally, they are very responsive and caring when there is a change in a resident's acuity.” Another health and social care professional told us, “[They have] a very good awareness of the (often conflicting) needs and quality of life of residents with complex needs.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to deliver person-centred care. Staff spoke positively about working at the home, whilst they said more staff would be appreciated, they told us they worked as a team to meet the needs of people.

A relative told us, “They are very good, I’m very impressed with the staff. There are no odd ones who do not fit in, they are friendly with each other. There is no grumbling, they support each other. On July 4th they all dressed up, there was a happy atmosphere, there were lots of smiles all around.”