Meryton Place 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 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.

We received positive feedback from people and their relatives about how staff ensured kindness, compassion and dignity for people. Comments included, “The care is very good, you can see it shining through,” and “The staff are amazing, dignity and privacy are assured.” The provider actively sought feedback from people using the service, and we were shown evidence of this, where one comment said, “Thank you so much, [Person] is now safely installed in a place that I believe to be safe, caring, comfortable and happy.” Staff were able to clearly describe how they upheld dignity and respect in their daily practise. One comment from staff about providing personal care to people included, “We make sure we close the curtains, close the doors and explain to the person what’s happening. We explain our name, what we are doing, ask consent and if they say no, respect their decision and try again later.”

A partner working with the service told us, “As a new-ish care home Meryton Place have now established consistent staffing and they offer a caring, respectful service.”

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 included detailed information about their life histories, personal preferences and individual needs. For example, one care plan outlined a person’s religious belief and specified how they wished to continue participating in their religion. Another person’s care plan showed the exact time a person liked to get up in the morning and the specific support for their morning routine. Daily notes showed the person’s wishes had mostly been met, except where the person had indicated otherwise. Staff had received training in equality and diversity and were able to tell us about the importance of treating people as individuals.

The service had also adapted two rooms in the service to accommodate a couple who required care and wished to remain together. One of the bedrooms was converted into a private sitting room to meet their needs.

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

We observed people going out of the service with friends and relatives and several people told us they enjoyed visiting the service’s onsite café for a hot drink and cake with family, whenever they wished. People told us staff encouraged their independence, choice and control. One staff member told us, “Some residents can do their own personal care, so they are independent. They ask for a flannel so they can wash their legs. Some people like cleaning their own room so they’ll do this with us. Sometimes we do activities like planting seeds in the garden and some like to help in the kitchen or lay the tables in the dining room. If they want to help, we do it together. Sometimes we make a cup of tea together. This makes them feel happy and fulfilled.” A variety of activities were available within the service, and people told us they could choose whether to participate or not.

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. One person told us, “I’ve never had to call them, they are regularly up and down that corridor, regularly ask if everything is ok. I like to keep my door open to see the corridor.” A relative told us, “[Person] is doubly incontinent, so staff go in and check on them regularly.” During our onsite visit, we observed a person calling out from their room. A staff member promptly appeared and responded to their request. In another instance, we saw another person returning from a day out with their family. They mentioned to a staff member they were hungry, and the staff member took them into the dining room to show them the available food options for them to choose from.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff reported feeling well-supported by leaders. One stated, “We can go to the manager, or the clinical lead and the training is very good.”

Feedback collected by the provider included an account from a staff member who had received support during a period of personal difficulties. Staff also confirmed they were able to take regular breaks.

Regular supervisions, team meetings and daily handover meetings contributed to effective communication and team cohesion. One staff member said, “It’s nice to work with my colleagues, it’s nice being from different countries, being professional and giving care to people, we work really well together.” Additionally, staff had access to a free programme where they could access support such as counselling, legal information, money and debt advice and health and well-being.