The Close

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 70 (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 told us “all the staff are nice and kind”, “the staff are nice, I was a carer for years” “within a week of arriving there, [relative] ceased to be violent, they were just so amazing.” One health care professional told us “people are always treated with kindness, no concerns, I’m always treated very well by staff members.” We observed staff to be kind and compassionate when supporting people. This approach was demonstrated through the whole workforce.

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. People told us how they were able to decorate their rooms. One person said, “I like my pictures on the wall, it makes it a bit more homely.” We observed staff supported people individually and offered a variety of snacks and drinks throughout the day. The chef had a good knowledge of people's dietary needs, and we saw they engaged with people daily and adjusted the menu based on people's needs and requests.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment, and wellbeing. One person told us “I can have visitors whenever I like. I had the chef come in today, the chef comes in every day and asks me. My call bell is around my neck and I insist I have it all time.” We found people had suitable equipment to support their independence. They were given choices through the meals they wanted to eat to the type of activities they wished to participate in.

Staff told us the variety of activities that people can chose from, ranging from simple games and crafts within the service to trips out in the local area. One person in the service attended a day centre on a regular basis. We found care plans reflected people’s independence, choice and control over their care and support needs.

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. One relative said “[relative] was poorly recently, and they were very proactive and got paramedics in. Always staff about. For example, just now [relative] wanted to go back to bed, so within 5 minutes [relative] was back in bed.” We found that staff were very observant in the environment and would support people to ensure they were comfortable and make sure they are ok. People were using their call bells frequently in the service, but these were being answered promptly. Staff told us the action they would take if they were concerned over a person’s presentation.

The provider did not always care about and promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not always support or enable staff. We received mixed feedback from staff. Some staff felt they were supported and felt able to raise concerns. Some staff did not feel this was the case. We spoke to the provider, and they planned to collaborate with the staff and review their workloads. However, the service had rotas planned so staff knew what they were working. The service held regular meetings and supervisions with the workforce. Staff attended annual appraisals.