Sycamore 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 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 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff consistently supported people with kindness and treated them with compassion, dignity and respect. People and relatives described staff as caring, gentle and approachable. One family member said staff are extremely caring… they treat him with great care and respect… they are welcoming, I feel he and I are secure.” Written compliments echoed these experiences, thanking staff for, “wonderful care”, “kindness,” and making loved ones feel, “safe and loved.”

Inspectors observed warm, respectful interactions. Staff offered reassurance during mealtime support and responded softly when people declined food or drink. People told us staff were “lovely,” and the home felt “friendly and welcoming.” Staff spoke positively about the team culture and said the manager promoted kindness as a core value, which supported consistent respectful practice.

There were isolated concerns about individual staff being abrupt or less engaging. Managers were aware of these concerns and acted through supervision and training to maintain consistent compassionate care. Overall, people experienced kind, dignified support from staff.

Staff treated people as individuals and made efforts to understand what mattered to them. Care plans included personal histories, hobbies, communication needs and preferences, such as clothing choices, spiritual interests and meal presentation. For example, one care plan detailed a person’s lifelong love of piano, gardening, bright clothing and social activity, and staff supported these preferences each day. Relatives told us staff “know so much” about people and “staff adapt care accordingly when she is tired or her mood changes.”.

Inspectors saw meaningful personalised activity planning, including music sessions, quizzes, 1:1 activities and themed events. Activities staff adapted sessions based on people’s interests, and a relative said this “gave back her social life.” Staff used life stories sensitively to support people at the end of life and worked with families to ensure individual preferences were recognised.

People and families consistently reported that staff responded well to individual needs when raised.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People described having freedom over when to get up, go to bed, eat meals and arrange their rooms. One person said, “I can choose when I get up and go to bed, I have my meals in my room, the food is good.” Relatives gave examples of staff ensuring people could make informed choices, such as reading menus aloud to a person with visual impairment and preparing personalised meals like poached eggs on request.

Staff showed creativity and flexibility in supporting independence. They adapted diet textures to allow people to enjoy foods they loved, broke biscuits into safe pieces and facilitated safe alternatives like modified texture fish and chips. Inspectors saw staff offer alternatives promptly and respectfully when people declined food or drink, ensuring people kept control over their choices even when needing support with mobility or eating.

People also had meaningful choice over activities. Staff held detailed conversations with people and families to tailor opportunities, including arranging personalised events such as pig racing for a racing enthusiast or preparing special meals spontaneously. These consistent examples demonstrated exceptional commitment to enabling autonomy.

Staff consistently responded to people’s immediate needs in a timely and supportive way. Relatives told us staff acted quickly when concerns were raised and communicated promptly about changes in people’s health, including falls, infections or deterioration. Inspectors saw examples of immediate GP contact after falls, swift communication when infections developed, and prompt responses when people struggled with medication or when their symptoms changed. People said staff answered call bells quickly, and inspectors observed staff responding when people appeared uncomfortable or needed reassurance.

Daily walkarounds, clinical governance checks and “10@10” meetings enabled staff to monitor risks such as wounds, repositioning, hydration and mobility support and act on issues as soon as they emerged. Staff understood people’s routines and preferences and supported them sensitively, for example by adjusting noise levels, offering alternative drinks or ensuring comfort when people became distressed or declined food.

Inspectors found some isolated instances where staff did not fully meet people’s immediate emotional needs, such as limited engagement during mealtimes. Managers addressed these concerns through supervision and training to strengthen consistent, responsive practice.

The provider demonstrated exceptional commitment to workforce wellbeing, professional development and creating an engaged, motivated culture. Staff consistently said they felt valued, well supported and proud to work at the service. Training compliance was high, and staff received a strong induction and robust competency checks, including in medicines management, manual handling, infection control and condition specific areas such as Parkinson’s and dementia.

The provider promoted an open-door culture with transparent communication and regular supervision. Staff reported that managers listened to concerns and took action. Results from the staff survey showed high engagement levels, with 93% of staff expressing pride in their work and overall engagement at 86%. Staff described positive teamwork, and managers encouraged flexible working, shift adjustments and emotional support. Staff were recognised through long service awards, employee recognition schemes and wider organisational wellbeing initiatives.

Training resources were extensive and accessible. Staff spoke positively about the learning academy, condition specific modules, mentoring and ongoing competency assessments. They said they felt supported during probation and found managers to be visible, approachable and committed to their wellbeing. These combined approaches demonstrated exceptional support and enablement of the workforce.