23 Cecil Road

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 85 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People had extremely positive relationships with their staff, who were fully attentive to both their emotional and physical well-being. People were addressed by their preferred names and staff actively engaged with everyone's personal interests and preferences. For instance, staff enthusiastically supported those individuals who chose to attend LGBT+ events and wear pride attire to celebrate their identity. To ensure everyone could navigate the community safely and confidently, staff maintained gentle, vigilant environmental scanning, discreetly guiding individuals away from uncomfortable public reactions, seamlessly preserving their dignity and peace of mind. The warm, celebratory atmosphere of the home was evident in everyday moments, such as staff sharing in an individual's excitement over a new clothing purchase and offering genuine, positive feedback. Relatives consistently confirmed that the team is exceptionally kind and caring, a standard reflected in care records that were written with the utmost respect, warmth, and commitment to individual dignity.

One staff member had shown great initiative in supporting people emotionally around topics with death and bereavement, enabling them to talk openly and express their grief. These measures had been further developed to support individuals to process this information in a manner they could understand.​ This work had been recognised and rewarded by their provider which has services countrywide.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People’s preferences and personal identities were clearly understood and reflected in their care and support. People’s strengths, abilities, goals and aspirations were actively encouraged, helping them grow in confidence and achieve their potential. People’s individuality was respected and staff made great efforts to accommodate personal preferences and styles. For example, people were supported with complete autonomy over their personal expression and grooming choices. The team fully respected individual appearance and unique clothing styles.

The provider was aware of the protected characteristics under the Equality Act and embraced them, their policies and procedures reflected this. The culture of the organisation was open to providing care that met people’s needs without fear of discrimination about their age, culture, religion, gender or sexual orientation. This ensured each person was fully supported in all areas of their care and people received consistent care that met that their needs.

External professionals consistently praised the service’s personalised approach expressing, “[Staff Name]’s skills were particularly impressive. Being open and transparent when discussing areas where staff had experienced challenges in supporting the patient and clearly able to describe the strategies and interventions implemented by the team to improve the patient's mental health and emotional wellbeing. [Staff Name] confidently outlined the actions that would be taken should any concerns arise.

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

People’s care needs, preferences, and aspirations were detailed in their individual care plans, and staff had easy access to those documents to use as a guide. People were supported by regular and familiar staff to maintain as much autonomy, independence and control over their lives as possible.

Relatives confirmed how staff promoted independence and ensured the right support was available explaining how they appreciated the positive risk-taking approach which gave the individual a sense of independence and self-worth and so in the future, may one day be able to live in their own home.

The provider 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.

People’s immediate needs, comfort and wellbeing were prioritised. People were supported by a consistent and familiar staff team, which relatives told us made a significant difference. This meant staff knew people well and were able to identify changes in their health or wellbeing, helping people feel safe, understood and reassured.

Staff were highly observant and often noticed subtle changes in people’s anxiety, behaviour, mood or presentation. They also understood the different ways people communicated discomfort or distress, including non-verbal cues, sensory responses or changes in routine. When staff identified concerns, they escalated these promptly, recognising that early action could prevent deterioration in a person’s health or emotional wellbeing. Leaders had invested time in observing and talking with people and their families to understand what the early signs of distress or changes in need were.

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

All staff told us they felt well supported and valued and that the registered manager and the senior team were always supportive and accessible. A staff member told us, “Management is exceptionally supportive, approachable, and responsive. There is a clear escalation path, and a reliable out-of-hours contact system, so even during evening or weekend shifts, we feel fully guided if an unexpected situation arises”. Another shared examples, of how they were made to feel valued in their role, and how regular communication and staff meetings, supported positive improvements within the staff teams and ultimately the service. There was a positive workplace culture overall, where mutual support was encouraged. Staff were supported to achieve a good work life balance.