Kingston 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 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.

The atmosphere in the service was calm and relaxed. People were clearly comfortable with their support staff and were laughing and smiling with staff throughout the assessment. Relatives told us, “[My relative] is quite happy with life” and “I can tell [they are] happy there”.

Staff provided support with kindness and compassion and ensured people were protected from discrimination. Staff comments included, “It’s very relaxing, I like the environment here”, “[Person’s name] is full of smiles” and “I think there is a nice vibe. Nice and friendly, very inviting”.

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.

People were encouraged and supported to express their individuality and staff valued people’s skills. People’s interests were encouraged and staff changed and developed activities in response to people’s interests. For example, one person became interested in sounds emanating from the kitchen as a staff member was working there. The person was then encouraged and supported to help the staff member in the kitchen.

People’s relatives were complimentary of the individualised support staff provided and told us, “I think [My relative] is well cared for” and “They are still learning [My relative] and what [they] like to do”.

Staff valued the people they cared for and told us, “[Person’s name] laughs a lot, huge belly laughs, if you are having a low day, [they] can really lift the mood”.

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

People’s care plans included information on how to support people’s communication and empower their decision making. Staff were attentive, respected people’s choices and responded positively and encouragingly to their decisions. We observed staff providing prompts, encouragement and where necessary support to enable people to participate in activities they had become interested in. Staff were able to describe different techniques and approaches they used to support each person’s decision making and independence.

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 responsive to people‘s needs and interests. Staff responded promptly to any requests for assistance and ensured people were comfortable and relaxed. Where people were interested in tasks and activities staff encouraged and supported their engagement.

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

Staff were well motivated and enjoyed supporting the people who used the service. Rotas showed staff were not regularly asked to complete overtime and had sufficient time between shifts to ensure they were rested. The provider valued the staff team dedication and told us, “If we are working short, the missing staff members pay is given to staff on shift”.