Westgarth

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. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

People and relatives gave positive feedback about the staff who were described as ‘very nice’ and ‘very, very good’.

Staff treated people with respect and showed genuine kindness, warmth and compassion. People appeared comfortable in staff presence and interactions were observed to be warm and respectful.

Staff told us how they planned ahead for people’s respite visits, looking at how they could make the stay special for them. One staff member told us, “We have one person who comes and doesn't have much money and I've found a charity shop where we can get lots of things the person likes for a £1. So, we went together and got books and DVDs for a pound and [person] was so pleased.”

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

Staff demonstrated an understanding of people's individual needs and preferences and supported them in how they wished to spend their day. People sat with staff chatting and laughing as they did activities together. People were supported to go out in the community and attend day services as they would when they were in their own homes. One person wanted to go to a football match and staff had arranged this for them. Relatives told us, “[Family member] told us he’d been to Halifax. It’s good he’s been out and not just sat in all weekend” and “If he wants to go to town, they take him, he says he goes out with [staff].”

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

People were encouraged to make their own decisions and staff enabled people to do as much as they could for themselves. Staff involved people in making choices about food and drinks by going into the kitchen, looking at the different options and deciding what they would like. One person was very pleased with the strawberry milkshake they had selected and said, “I love it.” Another person had achieved a personal goal in being able to make a hot drink for themselves.

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.

Staff responded promptly and sensitively to people’s immediate needs, ensuring support was delivered in a way that respected each person’s preferences. They remained attentive to any changes, providing reassurance when people felt anxious or unsure, and adapted their approach to provide the right level of help without undermining independence. For example, staff spent time reassuring people who were affected by a disturbance caused by another person. This helped people to feel safe and listened to.

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

Staff said they felt supported by colleagues and management. The provider had initiatives in place to recognise and reward staff performance. A ‘shining star’ monthly staff recognition award had recently been introduced where can nominate colleagues.