Dover House

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 inadequate. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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.

Relatives consistently told us staff were kind, caring, patient and respectful. Care records promoted dignity, respect and compassionate approaches, including guidance around preferred communication methods and personal care preferences. Staff were described as calm and supportive, particularly for people with complex behavioural needs. The comments we received included, “Overall the staff are caring and kind and most do respect people’s dignity and privacy”; “They are all very kind and caring and treat him with dignity and respect” and “As individuals all the staff are very kind and caring.”

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.

Care plans contained detailed information about people's histories, preferences, routines, relationships, interests and support needs. Staff guidance included information about favourite foods, preferred routines, communication methods and individual behavioural triggers. Relatives provided examples of personalised support, including use of music, videos, activities and tailored approaches which reflected people's interests and preferences. A relative said, “She likes a blanket to cover her legs, and this is usually in place”, and another told us, “I am happy that her care is individual and tailored to her needs.”

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

Care plans encouraged people to maintain independence wherever possible and included guidance regarding choice, preferred routines and involvement in decisions. Some relatives told us staff encouraged people to make decisions and maintain control over daily choices. Records also demonstrated support to balance independence with safe management of identified risks.
At our last inspection, music was being played loudly in a communal lounge, and we did not see people being given a choice. At this inspection, we saw staff supporting people to mobilise to maintain their independence, supporting people to make choices about their meal and drinks and asking people what they wanted to watch on TV in the communal lounge.

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.

Care records demonstrated staff had information about how people wished to be supported when distressed, anxious or upset. Positive behaviour support plans identified triggers, early warning signs and de-escalation strategies. Relatives told us staff were generally patient, calm and caring when supporting people. One relative described significant improvement in their loved one’s distress following a planned relocation to a quieter area of the service. Staff had been able to develop a better understanding of their needs. Staff now adapted care to people's individual preferences and responded sensitively to changing presentations.
We did not hear call bells being left without staff responding for long periods of time. People said they sometimes had to wait at busy times such as in the morning, when they rang their call bell. However, people were generally satisfied with response from staff when they needed assistance.

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 they felt supported by managers and had benefited from additional training since the previous inspection. The provider had invested in face-to-face training and support which had improved staff confidence and competence. The registered manager had introduced a programme of communications to support staff in their knowledge and day to day work, based on reflection and learning. Staff spoke positively about management support and relatives commented that staff generally appeared better trained and attentive than previously. Increased stability in staffing and reduced reliance on agency workers had also contributed to improved staff morale.