Cheshire Springs

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 newly registered service. This key question has been rated outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (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.

Without exception, people spoke fondly about the kindness of staff and about the compassionate care they received. Comments included, “The staff are brilliant,” “I would recommend this place. It is dead friendly. Everything is alright” and “It’s really good. I like all the staff. They are all very positive which is helpful to me.” This feedback was supported by family members who told us, “[Name] is always happy” and “My impression is that staff really care about the residents.”

People were supported by staff who knew them very well. We observed staff assisting people in a caring and respectful manner. For example, when assisting people to take their medicines, to eat and drink, or transfer using moving and handling equipment. Staff spoke to people kindly, explained what they were doing and sought consent at every stage.

People’s privacy and dignity were actively promoted, for example staff consistently knocked before entering people’s bedrooms. Signage was displayed to indicate when people wanted privacy. We observed this was respected.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. These factors were sensitively captured and clearly reflected through peoples care and support plans. Staff used this information in everyday practice to ensure preferred routines were respected and built upon this information to really understand people’s aspirations and what mattered to them. People spoke overwhelmingly positively about their relationships with staff and described feeling understood and supported. One person told us, “Staff are all excellent. Everything is structured around my needs. For example, I choose what time I get up and when I have my medicines.”

Support was provided to each person to develop, and in some cases regain some of the skills which had previously been impacted by peoples physical and mental health conditions. This had led to improved outcomes such as improved self-esteem and confidence. For example, one person had been supported to undertake light domestic and laundry tasks. This had progressed to working alongside staff in a more structured capacity which had helped them to develop confidence as well as verbal communication skills through talking with staff as they worked. Another person was supported to improve their dexterity skills and had been able to write out their own greetings card for a family member which had been a long-term goal. A further person had been supported to develop cooking skills to the extent they had been able to make a family meal for their loved ones. A person who lived in Cheshire Springs spoke of the positive support they received and told us, “I would put Cheshire Springs in the excellent category. I would recommend them.”

Staff were extremely motivated and worked hard to build trusting relationships with people. This enthusiasm had an overwhelmingly positive effect on people who used the service and helped people to recapture their feeling of self-worth and wanting to achieve personal goals. For example, one person had recently planned a fundraising event, and another person had made significant strides in wanting to take care of their physical appearance after a long period of self-neglect.

Family members consistently spoke positively about the individualised care people received. Comments included, “Cheshire Springs is a lovely home. The staff are very caring, and the care is always appropriate to my [relative’s] needs” and “All the staff are friendly and approachable and always put the residents needs first.”

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

Staff worked closely with people to understand their personal goals, interests and hobbies and future aspirations. People and their families were fully involved in the development of their care plan as well as when making decisions about their care.

People were always supported to maintain relationships which were important to them. Family members told us they always felt welcome when they visited and they were not restricted. A person told us, “My family can visit anytime.” There was a visitors’ suite which was utilised by family members at any time for private visits as well as being a place to stay if their loved one was poorly. In addition to welcoming visitors to the service, staff had also ensured people had maintained community connections and valued relationships. For example, one person had been supported back to their old ‘local pub’ to visits friends and to their previous workplace to spend time with old work colleagues. The persons family members told us how much they appreciated these actions of staff and how much their loved one had loved the experience.

There was a wide variety of activities available to people which encouraged social interactions and enjoyment. One professional told us, “Individuals are provided with person centred activities and there always seems to be something going on at the service. People actively access the outdoor space and wider community.” A person added, “Quite often there is a singer or entertainment, it’s great.”

Activities were extremely thoughtfully planned out by staff to create truly meaningful experiences for people. For example, one person had been supported to increase their confidence whilst walking in the local community. The person had progressed to such a point they were planning a family day out which was an experience they had been unable to enjoy for a long time. Another person had been supported to a football match and were able to spend quality time with their family. The family member had said it would always be a treasured memory.

People were also supported by staff through their care routines to develop their mobility skills which in turn had developed independence. One person was eager to talk to us about the steps staff had taken to support them to improve their mobility which meant they were not reliant on the use of a hoist. A family member also told us staff had encouraged their loved one to be more independently mobile. They told us, “Since [Name] has been here, they have been walking for the first time in a long time.”

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 warm and friendly interactions. Staff spoke to people in a respectful manner and were attentive to people’s requests for care. Staff demonstrated compassion when supporting people through periods of distress or confusion. For example, we observed one person became very distressed. Staff maintained a very calm environment for the person and worked as a team to resolve the anxiety for the person. Staff were also very aware of the impact the person could have on others and discreetly closed doors and ensured appropriate support was offered to other people in the immediate vicinity.

Staff told us they felt there was enough time to spend with people and didn’t feel short staffed. People confirmed staff responded quickly when they needed it. One person told us, “Staff come quickly if I need them. If I am in bed, I use the buzzer.”

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff were motivated and recognised and encouraged each other’s achievements. Staff recorded this via internal thankyou recognition systems. We saw many examples when staff thanked each other for a particular piece of work or recognised how someone managed a situation or how they made them feel. This created a true sense of teamwork and belonging. Overwhelmingly, staff told us how happy they were working at Cheshire Springs. One staff said, “I love it. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I love being with the service users. We have a bond and have fun.” The records we reviewed and the feedback from staff supported the consistently positive comments about staff and the quality of care shared by people, their family members and professionals who worked with the staff team.

The provider also recognised staff through series of local and national awards. Staff working at Cheshire Springs had won several regional awards as recognition for their achievements. Some achievements were for supporting people who lived at Cheshire Springs whilst other awards were for supporting each other as work colleagues. For example, one staff member had received numerous nominations by their colleagues recognising their dedication, positivity and enthusiasm they applied to their role. Nominations acknowledged the positive impact the person had on work colleagues as much as celebrating the positive outcomes achieved with people who used the service. Staff described each other in nominations as ‘shining stars’, ‘unsung heroes’ and a ‘credit to the organisation.’ During our assessment one staff member was due to attend a national awards event and staff on duty were genuinely supportive in wishing them all the best of luck.

The provider also had several initiatives to support staff during their employment. These initiatives offered staff discounts to many businesses as well as an employee assistance scheme staff could access for confidential personal and financial assistance if needed. All these staff benefits were well publicised to staff to access when they needed.