Foundation House

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 Outstanding. 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 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.

There was a positive culture of kindness and respect embedded within the service that translated into practice when caring for people. People described the staff as kind, considerate and supportive. One person said, “I’m really really, happy, they are so supportive, I’d be lost without them.”

People told us they had chosen to use the service because of the trust they had built with this provider and the respectful relationships they had developed with staff. One person spoke about people and staff being like a family who looked out for each other saying, “Overall I am very happy with the standard of care that National Star provide me here.”

During our assessment we saw staff supporting and engaging with people in a kind, caring and unrushed manner. People told us staff encouraged them to have autonomy in their lives and ensured people were at the forefront of all interactions and gave their time to listen. All staff we spoke with were respectful in their references to people and contributed examples highlighting their knowledge of people’s preferences, routines, and interests.

People were treated with respect and encouraged to live fulfilling lives, resulting in positive experiences and outcomes that increased their wellbeing. One person spoke about how they could utilise their hours flexibly to have support to do things that were important 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.

Staff knew people well and took time to understand what mattered most to them. Care and support were tailored to individual preferences, strengths and goals, enabling people to live meaningful and fulfilling lives.

People were supported to remain active agents within their care planning. One person told us of the different activities they enjoyed and how they planned their social calendar. They did raise on occasion there had not been a staff member supporting them that was able to drive their vehicle which limited their plans of how far they could go. We fed this back to the leadership team who told us they had recently employed more staff which should address this concern.

One person spoke about having friends locally they enjoyed visiting and spending time with. Staff supported them to maintain and access some of these friendships.

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

People were supported to make decisions about their daily lives, pursue personal goals and take positive risks whilst receiving the support they needed to remain safe. Staff adopted a wholly person-centred approach which focused on enabling people to exercise maximum choice and control over their lives. Leaders told us one person wrote their own rota of support and staff were then allocated to the hours they needed, describing it as “very bespoke” for this person.

People we spoke with said they were actively involved in decisions about care, activities and daily routines. One person told us they purchased their own food and then were supported by staff in their own kitchen to prepare meals of their choosing.

Written documentation provided clear evidence people were supported to maintain and enhance their independence. Care plans reflected a strengths-based approach, focusing on what individuals could do for themselves and encouraging choice, autonomy, and self-determination. Where people's needs meant they were unable to complete some tasks independently, documentation showed they were still actively encouraged to participate and be involved in tasks, activities, and decision-making to the fullest extent possible. One staff told us, “By letting them [people] know what the plan is beforehand, give choices and allow time for them to decide and ask questions that they may have.”

People were independent in stating preferences over who they received different types of care from. For example, one person said they “prefer female staff for all personal care” but were happy to adapt this for social activities.

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 well versed in responding to people’s immediate need and escalating concerns where required and knew how to work alongside people’s communication needs so this did not become a barrier to understanding their needs. Staff familiarity with people allowed them to recognise and respond promptly to any deterioration in health or wellbeing. People told us staff responded quickly to any changes in their health.

People felt confident staff would respond appropriately and ensure people received necessary help in an emergency. Although one person lived in their own separate home this was situated within the care home building, meaning they could access support in an emergency. This person told us, “I have call aids in my bathroom and bedroom.”

Health and social care professionals working with the service also praised staff for their timely response in acting on behalf of people.

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

The provider had invested in an employee wellbeing advisor role and range of employee benefits including an employee helpline, life insurance and medical cover, subsidised transport, free use of sports facilities and employee discounts.

Observations identified a culture of mutual respect, teamwork and inclusion, with staff working closely alongside people to achieve positive outcomes. There was a strong sense of teamwork across the service, and staff were consistently observed encouraging, celebrating and supporting people’s achievements.

Staff were supported if they were struggling at work. In the last few years, the provider had introduced and expanded the Mental Health First Aider network across sites. This had a positive impact on the care staff delivered to people.

Leaders spoke about being accessible and available to staff when they needed with one leader commenting, “It’s an open door policy, anyone can come and chat to me and that extends to the chief executive officer.”