Tamarix Lodge - Care 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 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 65 (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 and their relative’s felt staff were kind and caring. People told us, "They [staff] are lovely, we have a laugh and a joke together, they are very kind." and "Some staff are so thoughtful, they [staff] always help me when I need it." Relatives told us "I have no concerns with the staff, they are always polite and happy to help." and "The team are 100% kind and respectful."

Staff reflected compassion and empathy when talking about people. One staff member told us, "All I want is to make sure people get the best possible care." Another staff member said, "I treat people like they are my family, I make sure I don’t rush them and support them with anything they need."

Staff gave clear examples of how they respected people’s privacy and promoted their dignity when providing care. One staff member told us, "When I am supporting people with their personal care, I always make sure the door and curtains are closed."

The provider did not always treat people as individuals or make sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They did not always take account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Care records did not consistently include detailed information about people's life histories, hobbies, interests, and preferences. There was no evidence within records that cultural backgrounds or things that were important to people were explored. This reduced opportunities for the service to plan and deliver a variety of personalised activities that people would enjoy.

Staff actively encouraged people to participate in range of activities designed to enhance their wellbeing. These included outings into the local community, such as visits to nearby shops, which promoted social interaction and community inclusion. However, some planned activities were not consistently completed due to staff absences, including annual leave and sickness. Staff told us that there is no formal cover arrangements in place to support activity delivery during these periods.

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

Staff gave clear examples of how they promoted choice and independence in a way that people would understand. People were encouraged to maintain their independence and express their preferences regarding their daily living. A staff member told us, "I always speak with people and encourage them and help them when they need it. I try and encourage people to have a little walk around to help them maintain their mobility.”

Relatives told us that staff were welcoming and inclusive, and said they felt part of the service. One person shared with us, "If there is anything happening at the service we are always invited to join in. [Relative's name] is not always able to join in but nevertheless we are still invited."

The provider did not always listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment or act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff did not always support people in a timely way and the management team did not demonstrate oversight or assurance that necessary actions were completed. For example, during the lunchtime period, we observed staff encouraging a person to consume their meal. The individual expressed to 2 members of staff that they were feeling unwell. Visibly, the person appeared to be in distress and looked unwell. Despite this, no immediate action was taken by staff to assess or support the individual. This concern was raised with the management team, who assured us that it would be addressed. Later in the day, we followed up to understand what action had been taken. We were informed that the team leader had not yet had the opportunity to carry out any observations or checks on the individual.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

We received mixed feedback from staff regarding the support provided by the service. Staff confirmed that they were offered regular supervision meetings and that reward schemes were in place to recognise and celebrate staff achievements. However, staff expressed concerns that their views on staffing levels were not always acknowledged by the provider. A staff member told us, "Most of the time I enjoy it here, it's a good place to work, but it is really difficult to enjoy my job when we raise things, and nothing gets done about it." Another staff member said, "I love it here they [management] look after us really well and I can go to them with anything."