Harlow Hall

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. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and 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 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 and their relatives told us staff treated them with kindness. One person told us, “They care, definitely.” A relative said, “Yes, they are very kind and caring. They are so friendly. My [relative] is very happy here.” They added that staff worked together in a positive way, “They’re friendly and nice. There’s lots of jokes and laughs.” We observed staff spoke to people in a respectful way and ensured their privacy when supporting them with personal care. There was a positive atmosphere throughout the service with staff taking time to speak and listen to people.

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’s care records contained information about their preferences and things which were important to them. Staff were aware of this information and listened to people’s requests. For example, the evening prior to our visit, one person started to become emotionally distressed as they wanted something for dinner which was not on the menu, and staff were unable to provide from the kitchen. Staff members responded by ordering the item from a takeaway. This meant the person was able to have the dinner they wanted, which helped them remain calm.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights. However, people did not always feel they had a choice of activities they enjoyed to support their wellbeing. We received mixed reviews regarding the options for activities. Some people told us they found the activities offered childlike and were disappointed the activities were not as described in the advertising for the home. Another person told us, “Sometimes the entertainment is brilliant, sometimes it’s not so good. It’s swings and roundabouts. You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to.” Others told us they felt the activity schedule was the best thing about the service and the staff were positive in the way this was promoted. The activities team were enthusiastic about their role and told us they were looking forward to developing activities in line with people’s preferences. The activities team had completed training in supporting people living with dementia and met with coordinators from other homes to share ideas. Activity schedules showed there was a range of activities offered, including gardening, exercises, cinema, dancing, board games and church services.

People were able to receive visitors, and relatives told us they were made to feel welcome. One relative told us, “They [staff] are always accommodating.” People told us they felt they were able to choose how they spent their time, and staff respected this.

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 responded promptly when they needed something, and we observed this was the case. When one person became tearful staff supported them to go for a walk and spoke about their family with them. This helped the person remain calm, and we observed they were smiling following this. On another occasion, we saw one person appear confused when walking. The staff member stopped and chatted with the person, offering choices regarding what they could do and then accompanying the person to sit with others as requested.

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 the management team listened and acted upon any concerns raised. One staff told us they felt welcomed into the team and the management supported them in their role. A second staff member told us they felt their wellbeing was considered when decisions regarding staffing levels were being made. The provider had implemented an employee assistance programme and staff had access to a wellbeing application to support their physical and mental health needs.