Aaron Court 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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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.

Feedback indicated staff were kind and caring. Relatives were positive about the support the staff provided and said they were always made to feel welcome. Comments included, “Kindness is noticed with the staff, they will sing along the corridor and make a game of using the hoist” and “They are very patient with her.”

We observed positive interactions between staff and people, including staff respecting people’s privacy and dignity. For example, a staff member waited outside the door whilst a person used the bathroom and knocked to ensure they were ready for them to return.

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.

Staff knew people well and understood their individual needs. Care plans included information about people's life histories, preferences and what was important to them. Staff also supported people to meet any religious or cultural needs they had.

People's bedroom doors displayed photographs and pictures linked to their interests and hobbies. This helped people recognise their rooms and encouraged conversations about things that were important to them. Staff recognised and celebrated people's birthdays.

People were supported to maintain relationships with family and friends. Visitors were welcomed and able to visit whenever they wished.

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

Feedback indicated staff regularly offered people choices about their care and support. Staff worked with advocacy services where needed, this helped ensure people's views and wishes were listened to when decisions were being made. Care plans included guidance for staff on how to support people’s abilities.

People and their relatives spoke positively about the activities available and felt this area of the service had improved. One relative said, "Activities have improved; there's always something going on."

The provider employed 2 activities coordinators, who worked with people to plan a range of activities. More recently, events and outings had been introduced. The home manager had also arranged further staff training to help provide meaningful activities for people living with dementia.

During our visit, we saw a variety of activities taking place, including garden events and people enjoying a visit from an ice cream van.

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.

There was a permanent staff team who were responsive to people's needs. A relative commented, “The staff are fantastic, there’s a regular team and you get to know them.”

The home manager encouraged the use of a wellbeing observation tool, which helped staff understand people’s experiences and supported any areas for improvement. The manager also undertook call bell response observations, to help assess the timeliness of staff responses.

The leadership team had provided coaching to staff around improving the mealtime experience for people. We observed positive practice during a mealtime, for example, we saw staff showing plates of food to people, so they could make an informed choice.

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

The current manager had prioritised developing effective working relationships with staff and promoting their wellbeing. Staff spoke positively about the support they received and described improvements in communication, morale and leadership within the service. Comments from staff included, “I feel there is a lot of improvement. At first, I didn’t feel supported. There’s more direction now and I know what is expected.”