Pickworth 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. This is the first assessment for this 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 100 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. People spoke highly of the care they received.

Staff supported people in ways that were personalised and compassionate. People’s care was centred around their routines, life history, and strong bonds with friends and relatives. We observed kind interactions between staff and people. People were involved in activities, conversation and given emotional support when required. When speaking to staff, they spoke about people with compassion and care, genuinely wanting them to progress in their care journey by supporting them to build confidence and skills living in a new environment. A staff member shared that being able to track a person’s journey and see the positive progress that they have made since first joining the service was what they enjoyed most about working at Pickworth House.

One person told us, “The service has saved my life.” [Staff] never give up on me.” And “I’d be in prison or dead if I wasn’t here (Pickworth House).”

A staff member told us, “We are like one big family here." Another staff member told us, "I enjoy working here and I treat people here as if they were my own family.”

All the feedback we received from health and social care professionals involved in people’s care and treatment spoke very highly of the staff working at the service. We saw a strong staff team at all levels who were highly motivated. They offered support that was exceptionally compassionate and kind. Staff demonstrated a real empathy for the people they cared for, which demonstrated in the positive outcomes and progress people made. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respected their opinions in how people were treated. Staff from all organisations involved commented on how well the staff treated people as individuals recognising their past and building on the future. External professionals shared positive feedback about the approach of staff including, “Pickworth has been a success in my professional opinion and has allowed [people] to live well in the community in a safe environment, whilst managing complex risks which many other care providers would struggle to provide.”

Pickworth house implemented a celebration on the anniversary of the day the first person moved into the home. A local Italian restaurant was hired exclusively for the people living at Pickworth House, their family, friends, guests, and the staff team to celebrate a remarkable year of achievement and growth at Pickworth House. One of the people who live at Pickworth House brought their DJ equipment and performed their set throughout the night. Following such success and feedback of enjoyment, this has now become an annual event at the same restaurant, with people, friends, family, and staff once again in attendance

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.

The provider made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. People told us they were able to follow their interests and start new hobbies with the support of staff. Through one-to-one interaction including conversations and activities, staff were able to build stronger relationships and were able to have better understanding of the level of support that people required.

Support plans were tailored to the person and included clear, personalised guidance for staff to provide care to each person. Staff had a good understanding of what was important to people, respected people’s different cultures and religious needs and worked with health professionals to ensure support reflected their needs and wishes.

Staff supported people’s daily choices and respected their preferences around how they spent their time. One person we spoke to described enjoying being

in control of their own routine and spending time in the home garden, growing vegetables for all the residents. This showed that staff encouraged independence and personalised support.

Each person was free to decorate their own room as they wanted. Staff encouraged and supported people to follow their own interests and style when choosing furnishings for their bedrooms. People took pride in their rooms and personal belongings as some people were not given the opportunity to decorate, the way the wanted.

The monthly meeting held by and for the people living at Pickworth House gave them the opportunity to share their experiences with their peers. Staff supported people to make their own choices and decisions but used their knowledge of people including their existing conditions and restrictions to guide and direct. Staff were able to tell us about people’s individual care, support needs and how they wished to work with staff. A professional commented “Pickworth provides a very high-quality living space and high quality individual tailored support”.

One person shared, “I am included and Involved in my care. We sit together and talk through options and choices."

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

Staff told us they always encouraged people to continue to do the things they could do for themselves but always were available to provide support and guidance. This supported people to maintain their skills, independence and control with aims to promote people to live independently in the community eventually. One person who still receives support and previously lived at Pickworth House now lives within their own warden controlled flat. They shared they could cook, clean, manage their finances and medicines independently due to the skills and support that they learned and received from the staff at Pickworth House. Staff's comments included, "[Person] is truly a success story for Pickworth House and for the provider as a whole. Even more so now as they are working as a peer support worker, they are a great example to other people but also to external professionals.”

Through open discussion and joint working with external professional teams, staff at Pickworth House challenged and questioned decisions that would have potentially impacted a person’s quality of life within the community, doing so on the person’s behalf. Staff worked alongside people and were supported to understand their restrictions and potential risks while living in the community, such as 1 person having restrictions in place by the probation team on where they could not go within the city due to a historic incident. This had an impact on how the person sent their time or places the person could go. Staff worked closely with the probation team to risk asses and advocate on behalf of the person to promote their quality of life.

People were involved in decisions about their care, including medicines and daily routines, and their preferences were always respected. For example, 1 person preferred to open their medicines with staff reading through the medicine doses and description of the tablets allowing the person to cross reference for themselves. This provided a learning opportunity between the staff and person but also instilled the importance of taking medicine. People were provided with easy read copies of documentation in formats that they could understand to better help their understanding of their rights and what they could achieve with the support of staff.

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 attentive and used their knowledge of people to identify changes in people’s needs. They noticed when people were anxious or distressed and responded promptly. Staff were aware of individuals preferred ways of working and this was documented in their care records. They used tools like pictures and visual cues to help people express their choices, this ensured everyone was heard, involved, and received care that respected their preferences. This was demonstrated in one example of one person who when they first joined the service was withdrawn, had no structure to their day and would interact occasionally with staff and other people. They would make statements such as, “People that work are muppets,” and questioned why anyone would choose to work when “you can get everything for free.” Through years of working together, staff were able to support the person in engaging with his peers, using public transport, going on holidays leaning skills like cooking for themselves and eventually becoming a peer support worker for the service. The staff were very proud to share that at the start of 2025 this person received the keys to their own flat transitioning with minimal support, demonstrating resilience and the readiness to live independently.

Daily handovers and morning meetings enabled the team to share up-to-date information about people’s moods, presentation, and health. This helped ensure the whole staff team responded consistently and promptly to any emotional or physical changes in people’s needs.

Staff members knew people well and were aware of scheduled daily routines that included professional appointments and social activities. Staff consistently responded to people in a timely manner in the moment and acted to minimise discomfort or distress, understanding their needs, views, and wishes.

During the assessment we observed meaningful staff interaction with people. We observed staff supporting people and providing reassurances with anxieties related to daily activities in a friendly and supportive manner.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff shared positive feedback about their management team and other staff members, which contributed to a collaborative work environment. Staff said they felt listened to and that they could raise concerns or make suggestions without fear of judgement. A staff member told us “The manager responses to feedback and we always receive debriefs after an incident happens.” Another staff member ensured they had the tools they needed to do their job well.

Staff confirmed they had access to regular training, supervision, and guidance, which helped them feel confident in their roles. The management team shared there was a drive to invest in their staff team with hopes to create senior leaders within the organisation. Many team members were pursuing additional National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) training which is funded by the provider.

Pickworth House used an anonymous online staff survey tool where staff members were able to share and voice their opinions to the management team on the service and what they felt is or is not working so well. The evidence would be collated by the management team and shared to the staff with actions agreed by the team.

Staff reported feeling valued, supported, and part of a strong, collaborative team. Many described a family-like culture where they felt listened to and included in decision-making. Staff shared that formal supervisions and appraisals were in place but were able to approach or contact staff whenever they needed support with an open-door policy.

Staff said there was a fair approach to sharing responsibilities and ensuring a positive work home balance. Rotas were described as fair, flexible with adjustments put in place to support staff with personal requests. Staff members reported a positive and supportive culture within Pickworth House, where open communication and mutual respect was encouraged, contributing to a safe and inclusive environment where staff could thrive, and people benefitted from consistent, compassionate care.

Staff were proud of their work and to work for the provider. A staff member said, “We do great work with people and achieve great outcomes. More services like this should exist.”