Ellwood Place Dementia Care 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. We observed staff speaking and engaging with people in a kind respectful way. For example, when staff were supporting people, they did so discreetly and were mindful of the person’s choices and privacy. Staff told us what was important to then about their job, one staff member said: "To look after the residents well." Another staff member said, "I like everything, giving them food, providing personal support and dancing with them the whole day."

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. We observed staff supporting people in line with their individual choices and preference, for example one staff member spent time sitting in close contact with a person. The staff member told us how this person took comfort from spending time with staff. Another staff member was observed speaking to a person in their shared first language and told us how they were teaching other staff a few words. Staff had continued to review and update people’s care records as changes occurred which increased the level of information available to staff which fully reflected people’s individuality and preferences.

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 offered choices about what activity they wanted to do. Staff recognised the importance of supporting people who were living with dementia with opportunities to be as independent as possible. One staff member told us, “Every individual is unique, what might work with one person might not work for others.” They spoke of the importance of recognising when a person might not be aware they were putting themselves at risk. For example, walking without their mobility aid and action staff took to ensure the persons independence and control was maximised, whilst staff provided additional support to ensure the person remained as safe as possible. We observed staff promoting people’s independence whilst using approved techniques to guide people safely.

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. We observed staff working proactively with people to respond to their needs in a timely manner, which mitigated risks and minimised peoples concern or distress. For example, staff knew some people liked to sit in the dining room and others preferred to remain in the lounge area for lunch. Staff understood when a person might be showing signs of potential distress. We observed them communicating calmly and gently to engage the person in conversation, which diverted them from the source of concern. One relative speaking of the staff, told us, “It is the care that’s important, I watch staff, they are gentle and kind.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff in general spoke positively about how they were supported by the provider. Their comments included, “I’ve always felt supported by the managers.” Another spoke about how they felt valued for what they did and encouraged to develop in their role working at Ellwood Place. Some staff told us about some staff leaving and various changes over the past year which had impacted on them. The registered manager spoke openly about the journey the service was on and how they were working with senior staff and the team to further support staff morale.