Melbourne 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.

This is the first assessment for this service under the new provider. 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 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.

The registered manager led by example, and showed kindness, compassion and empathy when engaging with people and their visitors. All of the people and relatives we spoke with gave positive feedback about the approach of the staff team. One person said, “They are very kind and look after me well.” A relative told us, “The staff really are very good, I can’t fault them.”

The whole staff team welcomed our assessment visit and were happy to speak with us. People and their relatives told us the staff team treated them with dignity and respect. For example, we observed staff knocking and waiting for permission prior to entering a persons’ bedroom.

The staff team displayed a calm and patient approach when supporting people. We also saw staff had time to hold meaningful conversations with people which allowed them to express themselves. One person had recently moved into the service and expressed some confusion about their new surroundings; they said, “The staff are lovely; it is a lovely place, but I am not really sure why I am here?” We saw staff were patient and understanding when speaking with the person, attempting to calm their anxiety and to help orientate them to their bedroom and communal areas.

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 living at Melbourne House were respected and celebrated as individuals, with rich life stories. People were supported to maintain links with family, friends and their local community. Visiting times were flexible, and visitors were made welcome by the whole staff team. People’s birthdays and relevant religious occasions were celebrated within the service, with the kitchen team were involved in ensuring culturally appropriate food was available at these events.

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

People’s individual choices and preferences were respected by staff. Care plans we reviewed had clear information on people’s preferences, wishes and feelings. Staff we spoke with understood the importance of respecting these and enabling people’s independence where they could. We saw people’s choices were respected by the staff team. People were asked where they wished to sit or if they preferred to stay in their bedroom. The staff team showed a flexible approach to accommodating people’s preferences. The service had several smaller, quiet seating spaces available, for people who may find a busy lounge overwhelming.

Relatives were positive about the support in place for their family members to maintain their independence. People were able to plan their bedtimes and waking, what to wear and how to spend their day. People were supported to maintain and improve their mobility, by the provision of regular exercise classes. The activity coordinator explained the wide range of group or individual activities on offer, to promote overall wellbeing for people. We saw the activities planned were thoughtfully considered, to ensure all people could participate. One relative told us, “We are encouraged to visit anytime and can join in with activities and functions.”

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 understood the importance of responding promptly to people and ensuring they explained choices clearly, in ways that people could understand. Staff were responsive and gentle where people required support. We observed warm, friendly interactions between people and staff, showing that positive relationships had been developed. Staff showed they understood people well and this enabled them to manage distress behaviours promptly and prevent escalation.

People were supported to maintain good nutritional health and to keep hydrated. Everyone we spoke with enjoyed the meals and were happy with the choices available. If people wanted an alternative they were offered ‘small plate’ options such as sandwiches and omelettes. The kitchen team had a highly organised system for ensuring people who required modified diets were effectively supported. For example, where people required a low sugar diet for the management of diabetes or where people had an identified risk of choking.

We saw people were offered drinks and support with their toileting needs regularly throughout the day to support good overall health. The inside of toilet doors had a poster displayed, showing the colours which healthy urine should appear, this showed a best practice approach to reducing urinary tract infections.

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

Staff wellbeing was a priority at Melbourne House. Staff gave positive feedback about feeling included and respected. One staff member explained how they had been supported to change roles within the service, after a difficult personal experience. The registered manager had been supportive and understanding to their feelings and enabled this change.

Staff felt supported to bring the best of themselves to work each day. Staff spoke of the open and understanding approach of the registered manager, should they raise concerns or requests. Staff were supported to progress within the organisation, with the registered manager explaining the wide variety of differing roles they had undertaken prior to registering as a manager. They felt this gave them a real understanding of the unique challenges of each role in the organisation.