Edenbridge Manor 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. This is the first assessment for this service following a change of provider name. 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.

The home had a welcoming, friendly and caring atmosphere. The staff knew people very well and were kind and respectful with people. We saw some lovely interactions where staff were reassuring and used their knowledge of people’s interests and things they liked to distract them when upset. Staff promoted people’s independence and offered choice. Staff felt well supported by the management team and they treated each other kindly and worked together well as a team.

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 demonstrated genuine empathy for the people they care for. People felt they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day-to-day care and support. People and their relatives told us, “The staff are very nice, always polite and cheerful, they do treat us with respect,” and “Lovely staff, respectful, lovely surroundings, could not pick a better place to live.”

Health professionals told us that staff know people well and are caring and kind. One said, “When I visit, they [staff] are professional, respectful and polite.” Another comment made was, “They are quick to ring if they suspect a resident is unwell.”

We observed staff showing concern and compassion for people they were supporting. Staff were thoughtful and kind when helping people get seated for lunch or moving around the home, and ensured their clothing was suitable for the weather and to protect their dignity. Staff assisted people calmly and kindly and distracted them when they were anxious. Staff knelt or sat beside people when chatting so they had good eye contact and could be heard easily.

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.

Not everyone could tell us their experiences, However, one person told us “I am treated well.” One relative said about their family member, “Very happy with the care here.”

Staff told us they took into account people’s lifestyle choices and respect, d those choices. One staff member said, “We let them make choices, and it gives them back their identity, we have people that want to continue their hobbies, we have a gentleman that has a room dedicated to model railways and other models, he started it for another resident but encourages other residents to join him, we also have a library and cinema room.”

We saw that staff knew people and their life histories very well and understood their likes and dislikes. Care plans were specific to each person and there were policies that put people at the centre of their care and treated them as individuals. People’s electronic care plans were up to date, personalised and contained detailed information about their strengths, weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and how they preferred staff to meet their care needs and wishes. These were updated regularly and when people’s needs changed.

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

People were supported to maintain relationships with people who were important to them. Visitors were welcomed and relatives confirmed they were able to visit their loved ones at any time.

Staff told us they offered people choices of drinks and meals, asked where they would like to spend their time, and informed people of different activities taking place. One staff member said, “We try really hard to promote independence here, I think we do, we always involve family members as well.”
People were encouraged and supported to do as much as they could for themselves, to maintain and develop their independent living skills. People’s care plans reflected this approach, what they were willing and capable of doing for themselves safely, and what they needed staff support with.
Care plans also reflected people's choices and preferences and information of how staff can support people to make informed choices. For example, using pictorial, written aids or a family member/advocate. Care records reflected people’s communication needs so staff understood how to provide people with information and how people communicated their choices and preferences.

There were a variety of communal areas which people could choose from, including quiet areas, The dining areas were nicely presented with snacks available for people throughout the day. Adapted cutlery and tableware were provided to help people to eat independently where possible. We observed staff offer choices of drinks, food and snacks throughout the day.

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.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to emergencies as they happened and acted immediately to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. We observed staff respond to an emergency call quickly and the situation resolved with staff giving re-assurance and support. The person told us later, “They were so quick to come and help me, my pride was hurt but luckily not my body.” We saw people being supported when they required it, for example, helping them to activities, to the garden or to the bathroom and assisting them to eat and drink. Staff also reacted to peoples’ health needs to ensure appropriate healthcare was sought in a timely way. Relatives told us, “They do respond quickly when my relative has been unwell, they keep us informed,” and “I know they act quickly, contacting the GPs and expert professionals when my relative needed it, and they always keep me informed with what is going on.”

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

The provider and management team had worked hard over the past year to introduce ways of supporting staff. Staff had access to resources that support their well-being including confidential counselling services and private medical care if they needed it. Each staff member had regular supervisions, and the management team had an open-door policy to support staff. Staff gave us examples of times they had found it difficult to come into work due to their mental health and how they were supported. One staff explained how she had left but came back and the support they received had made such a difference, they were being supported to develop their career and hopes of becoming a nurse and this had helped their anxiety. The management team worked with staff to make reasonable adjustments so they could give their best to people when at work. Staff told us, "I have regular meetings with them, checks ins how I am doing," and “They care about us, it makes a difference.”