The Pines

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 inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with 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.

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.

One person told us, “I’m safe here and well looked after, the staff are kind to me.”

People appeared at ease in the presence of staff. Staff told us that most people using the service were independent with their personal care. However, some people required reminders, for example with shaving or oral care, and others needed a small amount of support with washing and dressing. A staff member explained that they always obtained consent before providing any personal care support. They also ensured people’s privacy and dignity were maintained by closing doors and windows. One relative told us, “The staff are very helpful. We always have a laugh and a joke. They're always respectful of our privacy if we're sitting in their room. They knock on the door and say hello.” Another relative told us, “[Name of relative] received some bad news, The home was brilliant. So sympathetic, and they would often put an arm round their shoulder”.

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’s care records included information about their interests, cultural and religious needs, and preferences for personal relationships. We observed that people were free to spend their time doing activities they enjoyed. Some people travelled independently to places of interest, for example to visit family and friends or to watch a local football team, while others were supported to attend the gym. One relative told us, “The people will watch really old films. They take [Name of relative] swimming. They go on a Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They take them in the car. [Name of relative] goes to bingo on a Thursday. Every month they have a takeaway night.”

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

People had individual activity plans tailored to their interests. Some people attended day centres, others undertook voluntary work, and some chose to independently access the local community. Individual activities included music sessions, cooking, lunches out, attending church services, yoga, domestic tasks, movie nights, independent walks, gym sessions, working in a charity shop, visiting the airport to watch planes, trips to the cinema and music concerts, swimming, having their hair and nails done, visiting charity shops, and outings to the zoo, Black Country Museum, theatre shows, circuses, fairs, and holidays, including trips to Wales.

The service had access to a minivan, which was used for group activities such as visits to the seaside, local farms, and garden centres. A smaller vehicle was also available to support people with individual appointments and shopping.

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 that staff were readily available when people requested support with their needs. For example, we saw staff providing support at lunchtime in line with people’s dietary preferences. We also observed people supporting one another when help was needed. One relative told us, “They took [name of relative] to a funeral. They respected their privacy by sitting at the back then they could hand signal to them if anything became overwhelming. They stayed with them the whole time. They did a really good job.”

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 promote their development within their roles. Staff were supported to complete training relevant to the needs of the people they supported. Regular team meetings were held, which helped to promote effective communication and support staff wellbeing. Staff also had access to a health and wellbeing support helpline, with appropriate signposting and referrals made where required. In addition, the service recognised and rewarded staff contributions through initiatives such as Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year awards, as well as the provision of reward vouchers.