The Sycamores and The Poplars

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 newly registered 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 65 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff demonstrated warm and considerate interactions, and people told us they felt valued and cared for.

We observed staff speaking gently with people, offering reassurance, and taking time to ensure people felt comfortable. Staff also treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect, creating a positive and collaborative atmosphere within the home.

People spoke positively about the way staff supported them. One person said, “Staff are lovely, they work so hard but seem happy.” Another person told us, “Yes, staff are kind, they do what they can.”

The provider did not always treat people as individuals or make sure their care, support and treatment met their personal needs and preferences. Staff did not consistently take account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture, unique backgrounds or protected characteristics when planning or delivering care.

People and relatives consistently described a lack of meaningful activities available within the home. One person said, “I just tend to wander about, there isn’t a [great] deal else to do.” Another person told us, “It’s very boring here at times, staff are too busy to chat and there is nothing to do apart from watching TV in my room.” These comments showed people were not supported to pursue interests, maintain independence or engage in activities that mattered to them.

The provider did not always promote people’s independence, so people did not always know their rights or have choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People described situations where their choices were limited or influenced by staffing pressures rather than their personal preferences.

As described within this report, people were not always given choice about the time they were woken up, and routines were often based on staff availability rather than what mattered to individuals. People, relatives and staff also told us that during the period when the service did not employ a chef, people were not given a choice in the food available, and options were restricted due to limited meal preparation.

The registered manager acknowledged these shortfalls and demonstrated that improvements had been made. Since employing a chef, people had begun to receive a varied selection of meals, and staff reported that people were now offered more choice in what they ate.

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. We observed staff noticing when people required support and responding promptly and sensitively.

Staff told us improvements had been made to allow them more time to support people as needed. One staff member said, “I am able to respond to call bells now and find other staff to help me if needed, previously some people did have to wait a long time.” This showed staffing arrangements had improved and enabled staff to be more responsive to people’s needs.

People told us staff were now more attentive and acted quickly when they required help.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled them to deliver person‑centred care. Staff told us staffing levels had increased, which helped reduce pressure and allowed them more time to focus on people’s needs. They also said they now received more consistent support from the management team.

One staff member said, “Things have definitely improved.” Another told us, “The registered manager tries to work with us to make sure we have the staff cover we need but also tries to meet our personal needs too.” Staff described a more positive working environment where they felt listened to and valued.