KYN Bickley

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 was the first assessment since the service was registered with CQC. 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 observed staff speaking to peoples with affection and understood the importance of supporting people with dignity and respect. One staff member told us, “I always make sure I talk to people a pace they can keep up with. We make sure we support [people with their personal care] with dignity and always knock (on bedroom/bathroom door) and wait until I get a response.”

Lunch time, we observed the environment to be peaceful and welcoming for individuals. The meals were attractively plated and served hot, contributing to a pleasant dining experience. Staff supported people to eat and drink where required. For example, staff assisted people to cut up their food into bite sizes. People were offered extra portions of food if they wanted and people were offered something outside the menu if they preferred something other than what was on the menu

Another family member said “[Relative] gets a lot more care staff around supporting my [relative] they’re just so lovely to [them]. [They} never once said [they] wants to go home. [They have] improved so much since [they have] been there”.

People talked about how welcome they were to come and join in with any of the activities and how families and children were all welcomed.

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 understood and met people’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs. Staff respected people as individuals and supported them to live in a way which reflected their strengths, aspirations and personal goals.

Staff supported people to maintain contact with their friends and families. One relative said, “We brought pictures in from [relative’s] house, and they’ve [staff] put them up it where they used to be in the house. They have a chiropodist come in and get their feet done.” The relative explained the person was still able to access services from before their [relative] moved to the care Home . For example, their own GP and other healthcare professionals.

Another family member said “[Relative’s] skin is all nourished and their hands are soft; they dye their hair. If there’s something running low, they’ll call me” and “They all know the grandchildren it doesn’t feel like a care home”.

Staff used their knowledge of people to generate conversation about people’s families, life histories and interests. This created a homely and settled atmosphere. There were friendly banter and laughter between people using the service and staff.

Staff understood the importance of promoting people’s independence and choices. A health professional told us, “The provider supports residents who prefer to wake up later in the morning. Rather than enforcing a rigid schedule, staff adapt their routines to accommodate these preferences, ensuring that breakfast, personal care, and activities are offered at times that suit the individual.”

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 staff encouraged their family members to be as independent as possible, supporting them to develop skills over time. One relative said, “The aim here is to keep building on what [family member] is achieving over the years and helping [them] to do more.”

Staff told us they encouraged people to do things for themselves where possible and our observations during our visits confirmed this. Some people had adaptations to support their independence. For example, 1person used adapted cutlery and a plate guard to enable them to eat unsupported at lunchtime.

Staff supported people to take part in activities they enjoyed and to be part of their local community. For example, people enjoyed activities including walks, cycling, discos, the theatre, opera, and visiting cafes, restaurants and pubs for coffee or a meal. Staff also organised trips further afield to meet people’s needs. For example, 1 person particularly enjoyed visiting the coast. Staff took people’s needs into account when planning activities. For example, some people did not enjoy loud or crowded environments and therefore were provided with individual enrichment activities.

People told us they chose how to spend their time and valued being able to have time alone whilst being able to have company when they wished. One person told us, “Personally, I’m very comfortable. I can choose whether to go downstairs or stay up here and read my newspaper, or whether to go down to the dining room or activities.”

A family member said [Relative] made friends, the food is great, [they are] enjoying it, [they are] eating 3 courses”.

Another family member said, “[Relative] likes to do the exercise classes and the flower arranging, they have a good program of music, [relative] likes the harp that comes in and a guitarist and singer.”

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.

People’s care was planned to ensure there were enough staff available to support them should they become anxious or distressed. For example, some people were supported by 2 staff when outside the home to ensure there was sufficient support available to them. We observed staff responded quickly when a person became anxious and distressed. Staff immediately gave the person reassurance and understood provided comfort.

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

The regional director told us they were committed to ensuring staff were well supported in their roles. They acknowledged that there had been some challenges for staff due to changes within the management team. However, this had been recognised and improvements made to communication and support. The registered manager told us, “We want staff to be happy and motivated. If staff are happy and have a nice environment to work in that reflects on the care residents receive.”

A manager told us they aimed to ensure staff felt listened to and to enable staff to work flexibly around their personal commitments, such as childcare or the need to attend healthcare appointments. A manager said, "I do my best to accommodate their needs."

Staff told us they enjoyed working at the home and that they felt valued for the work they did. They felt they were treated fairly and their individual rights respected.