Woodside 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 inspection 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. We received positive feedback from people such as, “They are kind, and courteous. We are really satisfied and happy with the staff,” and “Caring for [person] is challenging due to their dementia, but they remain very patient and compassionate.” Staff were able to describe how they upheld dignity and respect in their daily practice. For example, one staff member told us, “Respect, dignity and privacy is important whilst doing personal care. I knock the door, ask them what they want and let them know what I am going to do. I shut the doors and curtains and use the towel for them to cover themselves. If they are not ready, I leave and come back later.” One partner who regular visits the service told us, “I have been visiting nursing homes for 30 years and have found the staff here most helpful and the kindest of anywhere I have been, they really put themselves out."

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 and their relatives told us they could visit the service anytime they wanted. One person provided an example where they had been supported to access the community to spend time with family and friends. A staff member told us about a person they support and how they do more one-to-one interaction because the person is lonely as they do not have many visitors. Care plans showed detailed information about people’s preferences, interests and cultural preferences. There was evidence of support being given to a person who smokes to access outside areas. The provider also had a ‘belongings application’ where people and their relatives could log items brought into the service and write a short description about the importance of the items which had reduced the number of misplaced items.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. We observed people being given choices at a mealtime. One person told us, “I like specific food, I will have some of the things on the menu, but I mainly order my food in, and the service prepares what I want on a daily basis.” Another person told us, “I feel I can manage my life and what time I get up and have breakfast, I can ask for a shower or hair wash, and they will do it as soon as they can and always on the same day.” Staff demonstrated how they supported people to be independent and how they offered people choice and control. For example, one staff member told us, “I provide guidance, and encourage self-management and decision-making, offering assistance when needed. This helps individuals build confidence and maintain their independence.” People’s care records had individual information about people and how they should be supported to maximise their 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.

People told us staff responded when they called for assistance. During the onsite visit, we observed a staff member supporting a person who was confused, and they were seen to offer the person reassurance and talked to them about lunch, as this was a known topic of conversation that the person enjoyed. A staff member gave an example of when they had responded to a person’s needs and told us, “A resident suddenly started vomiting and pressed their call bell. I responded immediately, put on the appropriate PPE, and made sure they were safe and upright to prevent choking. I comforted them and cleaned the area quickly to maintain hygiene and reduce the risk of infection.” The service provided dementia interpreter training for staff, and staff told us this had helped them communicate with people better. The training placed staff in an environment where they experienced a restriction of some senses which helped them to understand how difficult it is for some people to communicate. Leaders told us the training “…has helped with staff communication approach in responding to people’s needs.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Overall, staff were positive about the support they received in relation to their wellbeing. They told us they had regular opportunities for breaks and did not feel rushed in their role. One staff member told us, “Yes, I feel valued and treated well at work, they provide supervision and feedback which helps to feel supported. They recognise hard work by verbal praise and give positive supervisions. There are staff ambassador recognitions, and I am also getting proper trainings for skill improvement.” Staff members were also available from other local services, managed by the provider, to help support the service in times of sickness and absence. There was an initiative in place for staff to have a lunch and dessert prepared for them for £1. Leaders told us the benefit of this incentive meant, “Staff don’t have to think about what to bring into work and they have what the residents are eating which is great.” There was a cycle to work scheme which meant staff could purchase a bike for 40% less than the retail price which gave them access to a means of transport at a discounted rate.Leaders told us about an award scheme for staff who had gone the extra mile in their role and where they would receive a written letter from the owners of the service and was given an option of an additional day’s annual leave, free lunches for 3 months or a £250 gift voucher.

However, one staff member told us there had been a recent situation where staff had found it difficult because a relative of a person using the service had been ‘abusive’ towards them and felt management had not addressed the situation. Leaders told us they were aware of this situation and the manager said, “It was a difficult emotional situation which was managed as well as possible” and during this period they confirmed they had regular meetings with staff and had an open-door policy for staff to speak with them if needed.