Eaton Lodge 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.

Staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Interactions between staff and people were positive and people were clearly relaxed in staff’s company. We saw staff spoke to people in a kind and polite way and communication was respectful but friendly. One person told us, “They’re very good to you here, you’re lucky, the staff are alright.”

Relatives were very positive about the staff. Comments included, “All of the staff are so nice, the carers, the cleaner, the chef, the cook….it feels a nice place to be” and, “They have a really nice relationship, everything they do is done with kindness, to other residents as swell, whatever they do. They’re all kind.”

People were treated with dignity. Relatives told us their loved ones were well supported to maintain their person hygiene and always clean and well dressed. Staff addressed people how they wanted to be addressed. Staff ensured people were covered up as much as possible when providing personal care to protect people’s privacy.

Staff 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.

Staff had spent time getting to know people and what they needed to feel comfortable and secure at the service. Staff had made one person a folder which showed them where they were in relation to their family. There was also information about the persons favourite sports team and musical tastes. Staff used this folder to help the person engage in conversation. There was a map in the folder which prompted the person to tell us more about themselves and where they were from.

One relative told us, “When [my relative] first went there, they made a detailed plan and they know them really well, their moods, [they are] a person and not someone in a bed.” Another relative told us, “They have made a real effort to find out what [my relative is] interested in” and, “They learned to make the coffee how [my relative] likes it, they always use the mug I bought [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 were supported to make choices and lead in their own care and lives as much as possible. Staff enable people to retain their independence where they could. For example, one person was particular about the clothes they liked. Staff had made a catalogue for the person, based on the persons preferences. The meant the person could continue to choose their own clothes even though they were no longer able to go to the shops themselves.

Another person needed support to communicate their choices. Staff had made a folder for the person so they could use this to express their needs. This included choosing the music they wanted to hear and making food choices as well as enabling them to express needs such as thirst or pain.

We observed staff offered people choices through the day. People were supported to spend time where they wanted to. For example, people were asked where they wanted to eat. One relative told us, “They encourage [my relatives] independence as much as possible. They will encourage [them to eat independently], when [they are] not able to they cut [their] food and feed [them].

Peoples loved ones told us they could visit when they wanted to. One relative told us, “It doesn’t matter what time of the day I go, you’re never an inconvenience, I’m always welcome.”

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 responded well to peoples requests for help and assistance. One person hand signalled at a passing staff member. Staff knew this meant the person wanted a cup of tea and fetched one for the person. When people were upset staff responded to them. We saw staff were patient when one person needed frequent reassurance throughout the day.

One relative told us, “It’s an absolutely wonderful place, the staff are very good, I always arrive and [my relatives] room is tidy, her bed’s made, I don’t really see that happening, but it gets done.”

People were checked on regularly to see if they required support.

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

Staff were positive about working at the service and how they were supported. One staff member told us, “The managers are doing well. If I ask for support from the managers, they are there immediately.” Another staff told us how they felt well supported by the staff team. They said, “The staff are very helpful, we all work together.”

Staff told us they were able to take their breaks throughout the day when working and were able to take annual leave when they needed to. They told us the provider and registered manager was supportive if they needed time off or were unwell and away from work.

Staff had access to external support services such as counselling through an employee assistance support service if they needed this.