Thomas Owen House

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 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.

Staff were consistently kind, caring and respectful. Relationships were positive between staff and people. This showed in daily interactions and contributed to a homely atmosphere. Feedback from people and relatives included, “The staff are lovely. They look after me nicely,” “I can't speak highly enough of them. What they do for [Name] is absolutely amazing they treat them like family. [Name] is just so happy,” “The staff seem to know everything about the residents. There's a real sense of caring there,” “All the carers are nice every single one of them, perfect. [Name] gets on with them all they're so good. [Name] is happy there” and “They look after [Name] well. The staff are very friendly. When you go in, they welcome you.”

Visiting professionals were welcomed into the service. One professional told us, “Staff I interacted with were polite and helpful.”

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

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

People chose where they spent their time and what they wanted to do. Activities were available and there was a flexible approach to how these were facilitated which suited the specific needs and interests of people. Special parties were facilitated for celebrations including people’s birthdays. Feedback from people and relatives included, “I go out if I want to. I’m going to do some shopping. I do lots of things,” “We had a party for [Name]’s 70th in the home. They got balloons cakes and food. They just go the extra mile to make something special and to make sure [Name] is included” and “The activities are there if [Name] wants to do it.” People were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends and links had been formed with local groups tailored to people’s interests. For example, a church group. The activity staff member told us, “It’s good for people to make friends with people in the community. It lifts their mood, and they don’t feel alone.” The activity staff member knew people well. They tailored their approach to each person and encouraged them to participate in things that were meaningful to them. They showed motivation and enthusiasm for their role and providing person-centred care.

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 knew people well and understood when, and how, to respond to each person, in a supportive way. One relative told us, “They know what they are doing and what [Name] needs.” Staff adapted their communication style to meet the needs of people. Effective communication between staff and people supported a relaxed atmosphere at the service.

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

Staff told us their wellbeing at work was supported. The management team cared about staff wellbeing and the ability of the whole team to provide a high standard of care for people living at the service. The deputy manager told us, “We have to look after the staff. If we don’t, they won’t be able to give the best care.” There was an employee of the month initiative which recognised staff members for their contribution.