Abbey Dean

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 good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 consistent feedback from people, relatives and professionals about how staff treated them. One person said, “[carers name] is so nice, all of them are just smashing they’re kind and friendly.” A relative said, “What the staff do really well is caring and take the time with everybody nothing is rushed.” And a professional said, “The staff are polite, kind and respectful in their vocabulary when speaking about people.” We observed familiar interactions between staff and people. For example, a staff member supported a person engaging in an activity by dancing with them who was smiling and laughing. People explained this was a regular occurrence. Staff were able to describe people’s individual needs, likes and preferences. One staff member said, “Everyone is different, care plans give us details about their needs, but I really enjoy talking with people and getting to know them, they share stories about their lives and the things that matter to them.”

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.

Processes were in place to capture people’s individual needs and preferences. For example, following a detailed assessment of people’s needs care plans were created containing their strengths, goals and wants. A person said, “When I came to live here, they asked me about what I like and don’t like, I told one of the staff I was struggling to move as easily as I used to, and they made changes to help me.” People were supported to practice their religious beliefs by representatives of church coming into the home, reducing barriers for people who had reduced mobility.

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

Communication care plans adapted to reflect people’s strengths and preferences supported them to express their wishes and make choices around their daily life whilst promoting control of the support they received. One person said, “Living here has helped my independence, I can do whatever I want for myself, and they help me with the rest, it’s my choice.” People told us they were involved in decisions about their care. A person said, “One of the senior staff or the manager sits with me and we talk about my care, if I tell them I need something done differently, they listen to me.” Where needed people had the equipment in place to promote independence. For example, profiling beds were used with height adjustment, helping people to get in and out of bed by themselves.

People praised the high-quality, person-centred activities that promoted their physical and mental wellbeing. Regular options included home life tasks like laundry, chair exercises, quizzes, and music. One person said, “There’s lots to do and get involved in here.” The manager used community and private transport to arrange regular trips out. Staff also innovatively supported people to learn new skills, such as emergency first aid, demonstrating a commitment to meaningful choice.

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 gave consistent feedback about how staff responded to their needs. One person said, “I had a health emergency, and the staff called the paramedics who came to see me.” Staff described how they recognised changes in people’s needs. A staff member said, “I know when people are their normal self, so I see the changes, in mood or physically, then I know there is something I need to respond to.” Another staff member said, “People who can express themselves verbally tell us when something is wrong or changing, but for people who communicate differently you can see how they express it in their face and body language.” A person told us, “Recently had a health issue and they called the doctor to check on me, it’s all taken care of now.”

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

Staff consistently told us they were supported by the registered manager. One staff member said, “I love it here, [registered manager] is one of the nicest managers I’ve ever worked with and their always there if you need them.” And another said, “We have days off and holiday to rest, our breaks on shift are paid and we get free meals at the home.” There was a mindfulness folder with stress management techniques in place, and the provider had worked with a counsellor to offer staff support if they needed. A dedicated area for staff to take their breaks away from their main work duties was available. Staff had access to peoples care documents and guidance at the point of care via an electronic system accessed by devices they carried with them. A staff mentor provided members of the team with support around their general development and competency.