Creative Support - Cecil Gardens

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

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. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; 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.

People were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion and their privacy and dignity were respected.

People praised the staff team’s kindness and approach to their care. A person told us, “The staff are nice, they are lovely, in fact they’re brilliant.” People confirmed staff took measures to protect their privacy and dignity. For example, covering people with towels during personal care, or giving people space to complete elements of their own personal care.

Changes within the service had affected some of the staff. However, staff spoke about people with respect and fondness and cared about their job. For example, a staff member said, “The care staff genuinely have interest in the life of the residents and go beyond to make them happy.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Person-centred information was available in people’s care plans which included their life history, likes and dislikes. This helped to guide their care. A key focus for the service was understanding people’s goals and aspirations. We observed staff speaking with people in a respectful manner, demonstrating knowledge about the person, their interests and how to approach them.

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

A variety of activities and events were arranged and everybody living at the service was invited to attend. This included Victory in Europe parties, a Royal Ascot Day, and a night of culture. A person told us, "It was amazing. Some people were there from Africa and told us all about where they came from and brought all their different types of food. It was an amazing success, learnt loads about their history and culture." These events were arranged to try and promote cohesion within the service.

People were supported to maintain their relationships and visitors were welcomed. Staff supported people to access the community and continue to engage in activities of their choosing, such as attending live music or going shopping.

Staff understood the importance of promoting people’s independence, and information was available to guide staff about people’s abilities. A staff member told us, “Having gone through their support plan, I can start by motivating them to do some things which I think they can do on their own, always discussing choices of their daily routines and allowing them to decide, respecting their personal opinion. By this, I can help build their confidence as I support them to be independent.”

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. We observed staff respond quickly when people pressed their pendants and were responsive to their requests for support. One person told us, "They immediately answer the bell." When people raised concerns, the staff team responded to this. The provider had arrangements in place if there were emergencies outside of normal office hours.

The provider did not always promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not always support or enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

The provider had made significant changes to the staffing rota. This aimed to address high levels of agency use and improve consistency for people who used the service. Staff had been consulted as part of this process, and there were different streams for them to share any concerns and access support. The changes, however, had impacted some of the staff, and team morale appeared low. Some staff told us they felt unable to share their concerns with the management team. Comments included, “The current shift pattern and the rota is a big concern for most of the staff because it has really affected their mental health and productivity.” Another staff member said, “Creative Support Cecil Gardens used to be a happy and safe place to work but not anymore.” We shared this feedback with the management team.

A variety of staff benefits were available including an employee assistance programme. This provided free support and advice, discounts and awards for recognition of long service or positive contributions. A staff member noted, “They motivate staff through various incentives and recognition, which benefits both staff and service users.”