Henley Lodge

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. This is the first assessment for this service since its registration. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and kindness; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion. However, we received mixed feedback from people about how staff treated them. Two people told us staff did not treat them with respect. We also heard staff discussing confidential matters regarding people’s medicines in the communal lounge where people were sat. We raised these issues with the registered manager, and they told us they would investigate and take appropriate steps to ensure people were treated respectfully at all times and their privacy was respected.

We observed pleasant interactions between people and staff throughout the day of our inspection visit. One person told us staff treated them “good” and always knocked on their door before entering their room. We also witnessed one person started coughing and staff immediately stopped what they were doing and asked if they were okay. This showed staff cared about the people they supported.

Staff treated people as individuals and made sure their care and support were consistent with their needs and preferences. Staff also respected people’s strengths, abilities, culture and personal lifestyles.

Staff understood people’s individual needs, their likes and dislikes, food preferences and routines.

People’s communications needs, including details of any communication barriers and instructions for staff to promote effective communication, were clearly documented in their care plans. This helped create an environment where staff were able to support people in positive ways while achieving outcomes that mattered to them.

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

For instance, a person was prescribed a medicine that made them sleepy. The staff kept their meal warm until they were ready to come down and eat. The staff also asked people if they would like to be left alone to eat because of their anxiety. One person told us, “I can choose what to do.” We observed staff offering people different food options at lunchtime. Staff told us, “People make their own choices” and “We encourage people to do things for themselves. These showed how staff supported people with appropriate choices to help them remain in control of their care as much as possible.

Staff supported people to participate in activities as per their wishes. Some people enjoyed going out with staff and would go to places such as the local parks and cafes. A staff member told us they offered people activity choices based on their needs and that they were actively looking for other activities that people would be interested in.

People were able to have visitors as they pleased.

Staff 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.

When some people became verbally aggressive due to anxiety or frustration, staff promptly intervened appropriately and de-escalated the situation. Guidance on how best to support people when they became anxious or agitated was clearly documented in their care plans and risk assessments.

We observed an episode where a person appeared anxious and was pacing in the corridor. Staff responded confidently and gently while offering verbal reassurances to the person. The person later appeared more settled and cooperated with staff to resume their daily activities.

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

Staff told us they had sufficient rest days and were happy with their working arrangements. Staff benefitted from flexible working patterns and appropriate support from managers which helped them perform at their best at work. A staff member told us their team leader and the registered manager were “really supportive”.