The Thatched 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. 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 and staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other oganisations with kindness and respect.

People had no complaints about the service and everyone we spoke to, relatives, people living at the home and visiting healthcare professionals spoke extremely positive about the provider, the registered manager and the staff. Staff treated other members of the staff team, and other health care professionals, with kindness and respect and we found the culture of kindness and care extended to people’s relatives and visitors, and feedback we received reflected this. A visiting healthcare professional said staff were always on hand to help when they visited which was appreciated. Relatives told us staff went above and beyond to ensure people never felt isolated. We saw staff applied their skills and knowledge to adopt a person-centred approach that helped reduce anxiety for people. We saw a member of staff calming a distressed person who was missing their family they later helped them use technology to face-time a relative who lived abroad. At lunch time people were treated with respect and dignity, people were not rushed to eat, they were asked for their choices, and staff offered any assistance needed with polite discreetness. If people spilled food or drink it was dealt with instantly, with minimal fuss by staff. People were free to come and go at the home and staff escorted people out for walks in the garden or further afield.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff at The Thatched House knew people very well and shaped their care for each person to ensure people had the care they wanted. The provider told us a person they supported had previously refused to accept personal care as she lived with dementia and was frequently distressed. A member of staff found that singing to them, and with them while providing support, helped them remain calm and accept care. The registered manager ensured the same carer worked with them to give them the calm support they needed.

Staff were encouraged to sit and talk to people when they had finished care tasks. We saw very positive interactions between people and staff during our visit. Staff were able to laugh and joke with people because they were especially at ease with them. We saw staff conversing with people in various languages. For example, a staff member chatting to a person in French.

Another person at the home had needed a behavioural support plan to ensure staff could provide care and support without causing the person distress and anger. Since living at The Thatched House and getting to know the staff, and the staff understanding them, there had been no incidents of distress and the person was living calmly at the home. The person told us, “I feel safe here and the staff are nice.”

A relative told us, “It’s very good here, staff take time to talk to you.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People were able to maintain independence even when physically restricted by illness. We saw staff take people out for walks along the road in wheelchairs to ensure they were able to enjoy the good weather. The floors and garden in the home had been renovated and people could walk about the home unaccompanied if they wished. Staff supported people at lunchtime, and people were able to choose, and change their choices throughout the meal. We saw many people chose to have extra dishes when they saw them presented to others.

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 were able to ask for support when they needed it. Staff were polite, kind and quick to attend to people. We did not hear call bells ringing or see people wait for care during our inspection.

People told us staff were helpful, and they felt safe. Relatives were very happy with the care and said their relatives did not have to wait for attention from staff.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff we spoke with were happy to work at The Thatched House. Many of the staff were recruited from overseas and told us how supportive the management had been during this process. Staff told us the training was sufficient and that if they wanted any extra training, they could ask the registered manager. A staff member said “If I don’t understand I can ask the manager. The manager is very helpful, even with personal things. That’s one reason I like to work here. When I was new, I was homesick, and they were really supportive.”