Cornerstone At The Park

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 service, which was registered in February 2023. This key question has been rated outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (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 kind. One person told us about how staff has supported them when they were in a time of crisis. Following any crisis staff always asked people whether their actions and support were how the person wished to be treated. People told us they had developed trust with staff. Our observations showed this and that people were treated with kindness, dignity and respect. Staff always knocked on people’s doors and waited for their permission to enter. Staff treated people’s personal property and space with respect. One staff member explained, “We get to know them [people], spend time with them. Make them feel better. Treat them as family and offer help. Really build relationships and have the time to do that.”

Staff notes when recording people’s care was dignified and respectful. However, when we spoke with staff some used an informal term rather than the expected professional language. We discussed this with the registered manager, who confirmed this would be discussed during team meetings.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People were wholly treated as individuals. The registered manager explained, “Everyone has their own journey.” Staff cultivated and nurtured relationships with people, getting to know them deeply. One staff member said, “It’s very individualised, may be one thing will work for someone but not another.” The service demonstrated a profound understanding of people’s lives and individualities, which was reflected in their person-centred care planning. For instance, one person chose to decorate their room in a way that resonated with their religious beliefs, while another adorned the outside of their bedroom door with personalized decorations. This empowered them to express themselves authentically.

When people were preparing to move into the service, they were shown their bedroom in advance and consulted about the colour scheme. They had the opportunity to participate in decorating their rooms upon arrival or have it painted in their chosen colours beforehand.

People pursued a variety of hobbies, and the staff respected these interests, planning staffing levels and outings to accommodate them. For example, managers reviewed individuals’ activity schedules and appointments, ensuring that appropriately skilled staff were available for support. This enabled people to engage in community activities and hobbies, such as model trains, at their preferred times. Consequently, people experienced enhanced confidence and well-being.

Some people had an interest in playing golf. A staff member who enjoyed golfing in their spare time supported these people, making the outings feel like a social event rather than an organized trip. This fostered a sense of independence and confidence among people.

One person found solace in movement during times of crisis. The service collaborated with them to support this form of expression and to recognize when to intervene if the crisis escalated. A staff member remarked, “Some days, people do not wish to talk. When you are with them, you do not want to feel you are leaving them. The best thing is making their life more meaningful.”

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

People were actively supported to enhance their autonomy. For example, people were encouraged, where appropriate, to self-medicate. This was important to people because it enabled them to have more control about the times their medicines were taken. This supported them to live more flexibly. One person told us, “It’s the right place for me to live independently. I’m able to pop out and come back when I’m ready, which is good.”

People were engaged in meaningful hobbies. One person spent much of their time gardening and supporting the maintenance of the service. They told us with pride about having their own tools. This person also enjoyed cycling and staff had sourced a shed for their bike. The person had been involved in collecting the shed, in flat-pack form, and building it.

Some people had been supported to meet their primary goals, for example, to be able to have a pet. This meant people developed confidence and gained a sense of achievement, which boosted their independence and control, and gave them momentum to develop further goals.

The service had a ‘Let’s Learn Together’ initiative with life-skills courses for people to choose and attend. These ranged from planning, preparing, budgeting and shopping for a meal, to first aid and included language skills in English and French, for example. People received a certificate of completion.

The provider had supported 1 person, who was scheduled to move to the service, to enjoy Christmas at Cornerstone. This was the first time this person had celebrated Christmas in a home environment, which was important to them. The service had arranged for another person to enjoy certain foods relevant to celebrate their religious practices.

The organisation of the whole home was centred around a consensus from people who lived there. For example, people had agreed they would prefer their main meal in the evening, rather than at lunchtime and the service had immediately re-arranged the meal-time experience.

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 were vigilant to ensure people’s immediate needs were met quickly. Staff were often able to pre-empt people’s needs, particularly where people were becoming distressed or anxious. Care plans contained information about how staff could identify when people’s needs were changing and how people could be supported to minimise their distress. Staff were able to access additional support to ensure people were safe during times of crisis. The service had clear escalation procedures to keep both people and staff safe. Staff prioritised and met people’s immediate individual needs.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The provider recognised staff contributions and ensured the wellbeing of staff. A staff member told us, “They [managers] always give recognition, they say it verbally and give incentives, such as employee of the month.” Staff were fully supported whilst at work through direct access to their supervisors as well as senior managers. A staff member told us, “They [managers] really support us. They are very supportive.”

Staff were provided with a range of employee benefits which supported them outside of work. For example, some staff were supported to work flexibly during periods of significant ill-health. This supported the staff member’s work-life balance and enabled them to feel useful. It also provided a continuity of care for people living at the service. One staff member said, “The best thing is you do get looked after.” Another told us, “I have my support system at work. I am motivated to come to work. I can’t think of anything I would change.”

Staff were enabled, where they wished, to utilise their skills and hobbies which enabled people at the service to benefit from these. For example, one staff member had crafted a momento so that a person and their relative could remember a family member who had died.

Some staff had opted to be trained as mental health first aiders. This role supported both people and staff. Staff were offered regular checks on their mental health wellbeing and encouraged to take advantage of these first aiders. Staff told us, “They [the provider] listen.”