Rivendale Lodge EMI Care 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 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Management and staff were exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

There was a clear emphasis on person centred care. Staff treated people with kindness and dignity. The registered manager and staff told us that they were always respectful as Rivendale Lodge was people’s home first, not just their place of work.

We observed visiting relatives interacting with other people living in the home as well as their loved one. Staff treated people with warmth and compassion showing obvious affection, taking the time to sit and hold people’s hands or to chat about the day. Staff knew people’s relatives and welcomed people when they arrived. Visitors chatted to people and staff and knew many by name. This gave the home a warm and friendly feel and it was clear people felt part of a community.

Relatives were overwhelmingly positive about the caring nature of staff and how they treated people with exceptional kindness when providing care and support. One told us “Since being in Rivendale Lodge [persons name] has a routine for bed, they feed themselves, try to dress themselves. We got their smile back and they try to talk to us. Their sense of humour is coming back, it is so wonderful to see in 4 weeks what management and staff have done for them.” Another said, “The staff bent over backwards to care for [relatives name] and over the last 24 hours of their life someone was always by their side with me. The acts of kindness that stood out were the flow of staff that popped in to say goodbye to my [relative], they were genuinely sad to see them pass. I cannot praise [registered managers name] and her team enough.”

Feedback from visiting professionals were equally positive and complimentary. One told us, “Staff appear to have built great bonds with their residents” and “There is a genuine empathetic and caring attitude towards all the residents.”

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.

Staff knew people well. People’s individual preferences were known and understood by staff, this meant that care and support was provided in a way that took peoples personalities, likes and dislikes into consideration. One relative told us. “My [relatives name] is a fairly difficult person now having lost all the social filters that they ever had. They can be difficult, however they are always dealt with in a very caring and dignified way, with good humour displayed by all.”

Most people rooms were personalised with photographs and ornaments. Care plans provided staff with relevant personal information including people’s life history. Staff spoke to families regularly and took the time to get to know relatives. On the first day of inspection one person was celebrating their birthday, the chef had made a birthday cake which was shared with family and other residents.

People’s independence was promote,people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People were supported to remain as independent as possible. We saw people provided with plate guards to assist them to eat their meals with minimal support from staff. One person liked to eat unaided and staff encouraged this, staff told us the person did not like to wear a tabard to protect their clothing, but staff assisted them to change their clothing after meals if needed. People were offered choices regarding how and where they spent their time. People were able to walk around the home accessing communal areas or returning to their rooms if they preferred. People were offered a choice of baths and showers. Staff told us, “Some people like to relax in the bath with some nice bubble bath, whilst others choose to shower. It’s personal choice some older people love a bath, we let them decide.”

People were supported to leave the home for outings with their families or representatives, which helped maintain social connections and access to community activities and the home had a minibus to take people out. One member of staff told us, “We take people out, when the weather is nicer, we go to the seafront, for ice cream, feed ducks in Hampden Park. We have been looking at a Cat Cafe, 2 residents love cats and we want to take them there, we are speaking to owner of the café to see if this can be arranged.”

Health professional feedback included, “Staff know resident’s preferences, such as where they like to sit, preferences on hot drinks. Staff know residents as individuals. If questions are raised regarding their health, staff are able to communicate residents care needs.”

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 able to anticipate and respond effectively if a person became upset or anxious and people’s support needs were attended to promptly.

Referrals were completed when people needed further support from other health professionals to ensure people’s needs were continually assessed and reviewed.

Feedback from relatives included, “On several occasions, I witnessed the staff responding quickly and effectively to the health needs of the residents, ensuring they received the necessary attention and care” and “Staff are always welcoming and accommodating, and always showing concern for the health and well being of my [relative].”

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

Staff had access to policies and procedures and robust care documentation to support them in their role. Several staff had worked at Rivendale Lodge for many years and told us they enjoyed working at the home.

Staff wellbeing was a priority. Staff told us they felt valued in their role and supported by the registered manager. All staff we spoke to confirmed they would be comfortable to speak to up if they had any concern or issues and felt they would be listened to.

The registered manager confirmed they had an ‘open door policy’ and we saw people, relatives and staff stopping to talk to the manager throughout the day.