Forest 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 changed to outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 100 (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 was 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.

People and their relatives spoke highly of the whole staff team, saying “They are like a family,” and “They are very caring, in fact, today 2 members of staff asked me, ‘are you alright?’, they are so caring not just to [loved one] but to me.”

We observed dignified and kind interactions between staff and people, staff knew people well and engaged with them in a friendly and positive way, smiling and joking alongside them.

People’s care plans and risk assessments used dignified and empowering language; this was reflected in how staff spoke to people with dignity, respect and humour when appropriate.

Staff spoke about each other with positivity, saying “The team is patient, compassionate, and respectful. Kindness and understanding are essential when caring for elderly people with dementia,” and “The staff at Forest care centre are passionate about helping residents and support them with dignity and respect.”

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Care plans were written in a very personal way to enable staff to truly support people as individuals and empower them to achieve the best outcomes. All the little important details were included, that could only be known by developing strong relationships with people, such as where people liked to sit when eating and whether they prefer their clothes to be warmed up first before getting changed.

Relatives described their loved ones as being happy at the home, this was down to the care they received. People who had specific religious needs were supported to maintain them, such as attending church. Individual and protected characteristics were not only respected but celebrated by the home. We saw care plans in place to guide staff on how to support people to maintain relationships important to them without discrimination.

Each person’s room had a communication bubble on display, these were person centred and detailed what the person enjoyed and what was meaningful to them, these were used by the staff as conversation starters.

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

Where people had a preferred routine; this was recognised, respected and detailed in their wellbeing care plan to enable staff to support them in the way they preferred, whilst also prompting staff to still offer people choice in case they change their mind. For example, how people preferred their room to be for a good night’s sleep, such as a ‘warm, low light.’

People’s care plans contained detail on which activities they prefer and how staff can encourage them to participate, such as hand holding or providing reassuring words.

Staff told us, “We always treat each resident individually and deliver care with a person-centred approach offering choice to empower them to make decisions, when acting in the best interest of a resident I follow their care plan and always choose the least restrictive option.”

Care plans detailed what people were able to do for themselves as well as what support they might need, this approach encouraged independence.

The home’s activities coordinator took the time to sit with people and their relatives to best be able to support with their wellbeing and life enrichment. We saw an example where the importance of a person’s military background was recognised and staff ensured a routine was kept and brought the military environment to them through days out, arranging for military colleagues to visit and memorabilia was kept around. This ensured the person’s military identity was maintained and helped the person not forget their background.

Other examples were shared where people had very positive outcomes of regaining independence, including one person who was supported to get back out into the community on days out through a patient and planned approach.

The provider was exceptional in how they 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.

Clear guidance for staff was provided in care plans for peoples identified needs, emphasis was continually placed on providing the least restrictive care interventions particularly with people’s who lived with complex mental health needs, we saw medical interventions were only used once all alternative verbal and non-verbal deescalation techniques had been exhausted.

We observed staff responding to people’s immediate needs in a prompt, professional and dignified manner, coming together as a team to provide the required support.

Staff said, “We have to encourage and support people and use their abilities to make them feel independent. If they require support and if they are struggling to do anything in particular, then support will be offered. For example, if a resident is taking time to have their meals, we would encourage the resident to take their time and finish their meals by themselves so that they do not feel dependent on others.”

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff said, “The service supports my wellbeing by regular supervisions and appraisals and having the employee of the month. The service supports us if there is any support which is required and the manager really supports with it,” and “The service supports my wellbeing by skills development which can boost confidence and cognitive health.”

Staff described how they had been supported and adjustments been made when required to help them get through difficult times. Staff also explained, “There is a café area where staff can sit, relax and have a hot drink during their break and this can really help to unwind.”