Riverlee Residential and 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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

People using the service were treated with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

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.

People told us staff treated them with kindness and respect. A person using the service said, “The staff are always kind and treat me nicely.” A relative commented, “The staff are absolutely fantastic, their whole manner is affectionate and patient.” Another relative said, “The staff are fantastic they are caring, loving and supportive.”

The atmosphere within the service was relaxed and supportive. We observed staff interacting with people in a kind and caring manner. Staff told us, that because of the staffing levels, they had plenty of time to spend chatting and socialising with people.

Staff told us they made sure people’s dignity was respected when they supported them with their care needs. A staff member said, “I always knock on people’s doors before going into their rooms and introduce myself. I ask how they would like to be supported with their care, and I explain what I am doing as I go along. I encourage people to do what they can for themselves to foster independence.” A relative commented, “The staff make sure all doors and curtains are closed if there is personal care and people’s needs are not discussed loudly.”

People were treated as individuals. A relative told us, “The staff always go the extra mile. On my [loved ones] birthday, they gave us a room for a party and gave us so much help. My [loved one] loved every minute.”

The chef told us they prepared ethnic meals twice a week for example, West Indian or African meals. Some people’s family members cooked and brought ethnic meals in for their relatives. The chef showed us records confirming family members had requested these meals be provided to their relatives. We saw these meals were appropriately packed and stored in fridges. We saw a person using the service enjoying one of these ethnic meals.

Staff told us they had received training on equality and diversity, and they treated people with respect. One staff member told us, “We have a diverse staff team and people from a wide range of cultures live here. The activities coordinator knows when all the religious and cultural events take place and always prepares activities for these. We celebrate everything, Black history month, Diwali, Pride, St Patricks day, St Georges day, Valentines Day, Halloween…there is always something going on…any excuse for a party.”

People’s independence, rights and choices were supported ensuring control over their care and wellbeing. A relative told us, “My loved one is a devout Catholic and enjoys the Church service at the home and singing hymns. They will be very interested to hear all about the election of the new Pope.”

Staff planned activities and facilitated a variety of activities to meet people’s needs. People and their relatives spoke positively about the activities on offer and the staff that facilitated them. Relatives’ comments included, “We love the activities people, last week an impromptu mini barbecue, they make sure [loved one] is included with any musical thing too!”, “My [loved one] loved the VE day celebrations and loves the music too” and “My [loved one] likes to watch and sometimes plays dominoes. They love singing and the staff involve them in any celebrations, the activities staff celebrate everything they can think of.”

There was a lively activities programme in place at the service. Activities planned for the week appeared well-organised, meaningful, and tailored to people’s interests. Planned activities for May included VE Day, world cocktail day and national biscuit day. An activities coordinator told us they planned activities monthly and displayed posters on all units so people were aware. They took people out for the day, in mini cabs to knitting classes and to a reminiscence centre. Visiting art therapists held sessions with people and external entertainers visited, including singers which people enjoyed. People from a local church visited every month to pray with people, play Christian music and too chat with people. The activities coordinator told us that where people preferred to stay in their rooms, they visited them in the morning and asked them how they were feeling and if they would like to do something that day. The service had a mobile magic table where people could play interactive games with pictures lights and moving animals.

We observed people engaged in a VE Day celebration. People were singing wartime songs, an enjoyable activity for many. People told us they enjoyed the event and appreciated the opportunity to reminisce. A person told us, “I enjoyed the VE Day songs, it was lovely.”

Staff responded to people’s immediate needs and requests. Relatives told us staff were kind and provided support promptly when required. Comments included, “When [loved one] uses the call bell, the response from staff is quick” and “[loved one] doesn’t use the bell call but the staff pop in and out all the time to see them.”

Throughout our assessment we observed staff were attentive and responsive to people’s needs and requests. Call bells were answered promptly by staff who were caring.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. There were systems in place to support staff and help them to develop within their roles. Daily 10 at 11 meetings were held to ensure staff were informed about any changes in people needs and regular staff meetings were conducted to promote consistent communication.

Staff were supported to complete a range of training appropriate to the needs of the people they supported. Training was provided via several methods including in person training sessions and the use of online training tools. A staff member told us, “I genuinely enjoy working here. I’ve had jobs at other places, but this is the first time I’ve really felt valued and backed by my team.”