The Limes 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 inadequate. 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 65 (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 staff were caring and made them feel safe and comfortable when supporting them. We observed positive interactions, with staff offering reassurance and speaking to people in a respectful way. One person said, “I always feel comfortable when the staff help me, they know what they are doing.” Another said, “The staff are very pleasant and helpful.” Relatives were positive about the staff team, one said, “Staff are caring and kind.” Another told us, “The staff are very respectful.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Care plans included information about people’s preferences, routines, likes and dislikes, and staff generally respected people’s independence and choices, such as where they spent their time and when they accessed shared areas. Some care plans showed good detail about how to support people with distress, refusals of care and personal needs. Some plans lacked clear personal detail, and some people told us they did not always receive enough meaningful interaction.

The provider did not always promote people’s independence, this meant people did not always understand their rights or have full choice and control over their care and wellbeing. While some day‑to‑day choices were offered, we observed support was often task‑focused. Some people told us they felt bored or unclear about how much choice they could exercise. One person said, “I just watch TV, no one really comes to sit with me.” Another said, “There are things to do but the activity staff are on holiday at the moment.” And, “I’ve never really noticed any activities.” A relative said, “Support is often task focused.” Care plans did not consistently explain how staff should encourage independence or involve people in decisions.

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 responded to people’s needs as they arose and took action to reduce discomfort, worry or distress. We observed people received help when they asked for it, and staff offered reassurance, however some people told us there could be delays. Records showed concerns and changes were noted and followed up.

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 provider had recently introduced an employee assistance programme, this was a confidential support service staff could use for advice, guidance and support.