Chartwell 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. This is the first assessment for this newly registered 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 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. People told us they were treated with kindness. We observed people relaxed and happy in the company of staff, they spent time chatting. Staff addressed people by their preferred name and knew their routine. After the lunch time meal, people went back to their rooms or to communal areas, staff knew which people liked to spend time privately in their rooms.

Relatives told us staff treated people well, “They do not patronise anyone. They are all treated very well.” Other relatives commented staff always made them feel welcome, a relative stated, “They always come and say hello, have a chat and ask me how I am doing. They are so nice.”

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. People’s care plans were personalised and specific to the person, there were details about their choices and preferences. Care plans covered all areas of people’s lives including their cultural and religious needs. People were supported to attend religious services of their choice. The service had links with a local church which came in to provide communion, others attended online services from their own church.

The registered manager told us staff complete a lot of one-to-one work to get to know people and their family, hobbies and what was important to them. When people were living with sensory impairment such as poor vision, staff suggested ideas to support people. One person had a talking photo frame, where their family could upload pictures and provide a description and commentary, when a button was pressed. People’s rooms had been personalised, and people could bring in items and pictures from their own homes.

Staff used their knowledge about people to support them when they were anxious or agitated. A relative told us, “They tell me about different tactics when they are confused. They used to be a teacher, so they have said to talk about teaching. They are aligned to (relative) and how they respond. They know what topics they like to talk about. We talked to them about good ways of approaching them. They did listen; we can tell they do listen, but we would also speak to the Team Leaders as it will go on record.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Relatives told us they could visit when they wanted and were always made to feel welcome by staff. People had the opportunity to take part in various activities which were offered each day. People could continue with hobbies such as painting, people were supported to develop hobbies including arranging exhibitions within the service.

Staff arranged trips out for people who wanted to go including the RAF museum, the seafront and shopping. Other people chose to spend their time in the communal areas around the service. A relative told us, “(Relative) is always in the lounge when I visit., so they are always with people.” Another relative commented, “(Relative) does need a lot of attention all the time. They do make a fuss of them, and they love it. They will come and chat with them.”

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 and understood people, they knew how to respond when people were anxious. Relatives described how people were reassured and comforted by staff. Records confirmed staff had calmed and reassured people during times of agitation and medicines prescribed had not been given unless it was a last resort.

Relatives told us people were referred for emergency treatment when required. When people had fallen or become unwell staff had taken appropriate action. When people’s needs changed, staff had worked with health professionals to develop new care plans.People had access to call bells and could call for assistance, we observed staff responding to the bells quickly.

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 they felt supported by the management team. The registered manager made sure staff took regular breaks and did not work for long periods without a day off.

The registered manager was a mental health first aider and monitored staff wellbeing. Staff had access to the provider’s counselling support service, which the registered manager encouraged staff to use if they had any concerns.Staff were given the opportunity to develop and progress their careers as much as they wanted. There was a reward programme for staff to motivate and reward achievement. Staff had facilities to take breaks and relax during their shift.