Highbury House Nursing 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 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. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People and their relatives were happy with the care they received. One person told us, “They are very kind to me, I cannot fault them.” A relative said, “They have made [my relative] come out of her shell. She is now so much better than before she came here when she was quite isolated. She now chats with all the staff.”

Staff enjoyed giving care to people and it was clear from their feedback that providing good care was their aim. The registered manager told us, “We give very good care that we are proud of. We support the families too. We treat them all like they are our family.”

During the on-site assessment, the atmosphere at the service was friendly and welcoming. We saw and heard staff interacting with people in a meaningful way and heard lots of laughter from people, visitors, and staff.

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 and their relatives told us that staff knew them well and treated them as individuals. A relative told us, “The staff treat her like she is still a real person. They will get her books to read.”

Staff got to know people well, how they liked their care to be delivered and what they enjoyed doing. One member of staff told us, “It feels like home. We’re always here to help. We’ve got to know everyone and treat them all with respect. They are people and we treat them with love.”

People’s care plans contained details of people’s choices and preferences. These were kept under review and staff were aware of them.

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

People told us staff supported them to lead independent lives, and the support provided helped them to create the lives they wanted. A relative told us, “Everyone speaks to [my relative]. They are just like a friend to her and they know what she likes and dislikes. They do understand her, and when they give her a shower, they are very gentle. They do not push her, but they encourage her and go with what she wants.” Staff gave us examples of how they promoted people’s independence, such as encouraging them to dress themselves and choose which clothes to wear. We saw activities were planned individually for people. A relative told us, “There are always activities in the afternoons like bingo, quizzes, exercises, films etc. and he joins in with these.” Other people enjoyed reading and arts and crafts, and staff made time to sit with people and talk about their interests.

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 were on hand to support people when they wanted and needed it. They responded quickly to call bells, but also to people’s requests. A relative told us, “Every time [my relative] has rung her bell, they are there straight away.”

Staff were aware of people’s needs and understood when people needed assistance. One member of staff told us, “We check on people all the time. If they want anything we are there for them.” Feedback from people was monitored to ensure their needs were met and the registered manager regularly observed care and spoke with people to ensure they were happy.

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

Staff told us the management fostered a positive work environment and looked out for their wellbeing. One member of staff told us, “[Registered manager] is very supportive, she is always flexible and has helped me both at work and in my personal life.”