Hylton Grange

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and were involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 70 (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 had a proactive and positive culture of safety, based on openness and honesty. They listened to concerns about safety and investigated and reported safety events. Lessons were learnt to continually identify and embed good practice. Any incidents about people's safety were discussed with staff in a timely way, with action taken to reduce further risks. A staff member commented, “Learning is shared at the daily team meetings at 08:00 and the ‘huddle’ meeting mid-morning.” However, lessons were not consistently learned from incidents, to prevent similar incidents occurring and to raise awareness of complying with standards and safe working practices. For example, with regard to medicines management.

Staff treated people as individuals and ensured 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. Detailed person-centred information was collected about people's religion, likes, dislikes and cultural preferences. A person commented, “I like to go to church every week.” Staff were aware of and had an in-depth understanding of people's needs, anxieties and aspirations. A relative commented, “A lot of the activities are focussed on the individual, what they want to do, rather than a lot of groups.” Staff established consistent and trusting relationships with people which enabled people to relax with the support provided. Staff had received training in equality and diversity to emphasise the importance of treating people as unique individuals with different and diverse needs.

Staff at the service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Independence and autonomy were promoted, whatever the level of need, and this was at the centre of the care and support that people received. People were supported to achieve a level of independence and to be fully involved in decision making and control in their lives. There was a kitchen on each unit and a lively hub on the ground floor where people were encouraged to make snacks and drinks. A staff member commented, “Some people are learning to manage their own money when they go to the shop, some are supported with their meal preparation and cooking.” Detailed care records documented how people's independence was to be promoted. However, further information was needed in some care plans to detail the support staff needed to provide and what the person could do themselves to help complete the task and maintain their independence.

People were supported to reach personal goals, achieve a level of independence and be fully involved in decision making, giving them control of their lives. Staff empowered people to be in control of these choices which led to a wider range of experiences for people and positive outcomes. A staff member commented, “People living at the home are involved in our charity initiative, ‘Coffee First’, selling coffee and cake. They are learning how to make coffee and learning customer service skills and dealing with money.” There were examples of where people had flourished and become more independent in terms of physical or emotional well-being. For example, a person previously reluctant to going out, now looked forward to shopping trips. Some other people had prepared and successfully moved onto more independent living. The activities co-ordinator sourced a range of activities and entertainment for people to enjoy, both inside the home and out in the community. People’s comments included, “I love the place. I like to use the garden and pick the lavender”, “We celebrated my birthday with presents and a cake”, “The (activities organiser) is fantastic, I always ask ‘What is on?’. Today it was little things on each unit, this afternoon it is gardening.”

Staff 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. confirmed this was the case. They worked calmly, compassionately and responded to people promptly. Staff worked very closely with people. They invested time in ensuring they were given the right level of support to promote their understanding. A professional commented, “Every time I have visited the support worker allocated 1 to 1 with my client has had a good awareness of their needs and have been following the positive behaviour support plan correctly.”

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 supported by the management team. They all commented they were encouraged to voice their opinions, ideas and suggestions. A staff member commented, “We are asked to complete a ‘mood indicator’ to say how we are feeling at the end of each shift. The responses are collated and displayed on the governance board, for management to look at and take action if needed.”