Linden Lodge Nursing 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 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 80 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People and relatives told us staff were consistently kind, sensitive and responsive to people’s needs and committed to supporting them with empathy. Relatives told us, the way staff cared for people made a truly positive difference to their daily lives. People and relatives said it helped them feel uplifted, reassured and confident to ask for any support they needed.

One person told us how well staff knew them and said, “[Staff] know my likes and dislikes better than I know myself.” Another person described how staff used their understanding of them to provide consistently kind, compassionate and reassuring support. They told us staff were always attentive to their wellbeing, saying, “The staff seem to know if there is something not quite right with you and would come and speak to you.” People told us staff fully understood their right to privacy and dignity and took practical steps to support this. For example, by treating people respectfully and closing doors and curtains when providing personal care. These caring approaches taken by staff meant people were fully understood, valued and treated with warmth and dignity.

Relatives and people’s friends spoke extremely positively about the warm, trusting relationships staff had built with people and with others living in the home. A person said, “The staff are more like family.” One relative told us, “The staff are very caring; I see it when I visit.” A friend of a person who had lived at the home described how this caring attitude was consistently demonstrated by every member of the team. They said, “Cleaners, carers, all, had such a good relationship with [person’s name]. It was always the same, smiling staff and [person’s name] loved them.”

A health and social care professional who regularly visited the home highlighted the exceptional kindness and sensitivity staff showed when supporting a person following the bereavement of a close family member. They told us staff ensured the person was never left feeling alone, gently encouraged them to join activities so they could connect with other residents, while also sitting with them when they preferred quiet time. The professional also said, “They show kindness and compassion to all of their [people].” This reflected a deeply caring culture where staff were attentive to people’s emotional wellbeing and provided comfort, reassurance and companionship during difficult times.

Staff highly valued the strong, caring relationships they had developed with people and consistently showed deep respect when talking about them. One staff member told us, "The residents are awesome, you see how they struggle, and you find a strength in yourself.” They also described how staff continued to think about people even outside of their working hours, explaining how colleagues had thoughtfully bought small items of clothing for a person who did not have regular visitors. This reflected the team’s compassion, kindness and commitment to ensuring people always felt valued and supported.

Staff created a warm, inclusive and caring environment where people felt valued and involved in everyday life. One staff member described how everyone was welcomed into shared celebrations, saying, “Our [registered manager], her birthday has just gone, and she celebrated with us downstairs, together with the residents.” This reflected the strong sense of community within the home and the team’s commitment to ensuring people felt connected, respected and part of something special. We saw when a new member of staff entered the communal lounge, another staff member warmly introduced them to everyone and encouraged the new staff member to share a little about themselves. This thoughtful interaction showed respect for people and helped them feel safe, included and valued within their home.

Health and social care professionals told us they were consistently treated with kindness and respect, and said staff knew people well. They spoke highly of the warm, caring culture created by the staff team.

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.

People told us staff cared for them in ways which recognised them as individuals and tailored their care with kindness and sensitivity, to reflect their unique wishes and preferences. One person explained this included choosing the gender of staff supporting them with personal care, ensuring they felt comfortable. Another person described how staff understood what helped them when they felt anxious and consistently supported them in the way they preferred.

Staff used thoughtful prompts and cues to spark meaningful conversations which helped people reconnect with their memories and personal histories. For example, while a singer was performing on the television, a staff member chatted with a person about concerts they had enjoyed in the past, gently encouraging reminiscence. When another person asked a staff member where they lived, the staff member responded warmly, leading to a conversation about the area and the person’s own memories of visiting there. At lunchtime, a simple comment about a toy cat naturally led to a lively discussion about the pets people had previously owned. These moments showed how staff recognised people as individuals and supported them with kindness, curiosity and genuine interest in their lives.

One staff member commented, "It is important for us to talk about their life experiences because it is a great way to start conversations and reminiscence is an important thing to do.” Another staff member said, “Some of them don’t have full capacity, people lose their memory but remember years ago and those are the comforting things for them to talk about it.”

Staff recognised the importance of understanding each person’s life story and used this to build personalised, meaningful, individualised connections, which helped people to feel understood and emotionally supported. One staff member told us, "It is important for us to talk about their life experiences because it is a great way to start conversations and reminiscence is an important thing to do.” Another staff member explained although some people experienced memory loss, they often remembered events from many years ago, and talking about these memories brought them comfort and reassurance.

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

People told us staff supported them to remain as independent as possible, with care tailored to their individual needs and abilities. Relatives also shared examples of how staff worked closely with other health and social care professionals to ensure people had every opportunity to maintain their independence and continue doing as much for themselves as they could.

People were supported to make everyday choices about their care, with staff offering clear information and a range of options so individuals could decide what suited them best. For example, staff made sure everyone had their own copy of the activity plan, enabling people to choose freely whether they wished to take part in activities and maintain control over how they spent their day.

Staff consistently supported people as individuals, offering meaningful choices throughout the day, such as what they wanted to drink and where they preferred to sit. We saw staff involving people fully in the support they were providing, engaging them at each stage, so they felt included, respected and in control of their own care. One staff member told us how people’s preferences for their care were always respected and accommodated. They explained, "We work together to make sure we meet every resident's needs and are respectful of their choices."

People told us they enjoyed the activities available to them, and we saw people looking relaxed, comfortable and confident when taking part. A wide range of activities was offered so individuals could choose what best supported their physical, emotional and social wellbeing. Relatives also spoke positively about the impact of these opportunities, with 1 telling us, “I love to see the joy on [people’s] faces whenever the entertainers are in.” These moments showed how activities were shaped around what mattered to each person and supported them to feel happy, engaged and part of the community at Linden Lodge Nursing Home.

A member of the wellbeing team said, “I try to make a community everyone feels part of, to feel they are needed and valued. It is all encompassing. We do so much more than activities, it is person centred care and tailored to every single individual.” During our inspection we saw people engaged in musical activities, quizzes, reminiscence discussions and exercise sessions. People and relatives confirmed there were no restrictions on visiting arrangements, which helped people to maintain connections with others important to them.

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 told us staff were listened to their requests and supported them in ways which reflected their individual needs at a time which was right for them. One person said, “I can ask anything, they [staff] don’t mind at all.” Another person explained how staff had comforted them when they were distressed, saying, “Last night I was upset, and a [staff member] came in and stayed with me until I calmed down.” Another person described how staff responded promptly when they asked for an item to ensure their comfort, showing staff were attentive to people’s wellbeing.

Staff were observant and responsive, quickly recognising when someone might need support. For example, during lunchtime we saw several occasions where staff noticed people required assistance and stepped in sensitively and without delay.

We also saw staff maintaining a reassuring presence in communal areas. They communicated effectively with each other to ensure at least 1 staff member remained in the lounges at all times, enabling them to respond promptly to people’s requests and provide consistent, person‑centred support.

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 valued and were well supported to provide good care to people. This included through regular 1:1 meetings with their managers, team discussions and access to training. Several staff spoke about how opportunities for development had enabled them to progress into more senior roles with additional responsibilities. When we asked 1 staff member if they felt valued, they said, “Yes and that has been because of climbing the ladder. They are willing to put time into me progressing, so I think that is a big way of making me feel valued." Another staff member explained managers were supportive in ensuring their own protected characteristics were respected, for example by offering phased returns or adjusting work practices when staff were returning to work after a period of absence.

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 valued and were well supported to provide good care to people. This included through regular 1:1 meetings with their managers, team discussions and access to training. Several staff spoke about how opportunities for development had enabled them to progress into more senior roles with additional responsibilities. When we asked 1 staff member if they felt valued, they said, “Yes and that has been because of climbing the ladder. They are willing to put time into me progressing, so I think that is a big way of making me feel valued." Another staff member explained managers were supportive in ensuring their own protected characteristics were respected, for example by offering phased returns or adjusting work practices when staff were returning to work after a period of absence.