Pear Tree 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 newly registered service. This key question has been rated outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

The person had strong relationships with staff. Our observation confirmed they were treated in a kind and caring way, they appeared comfortable with staff and interacted positively with them. It was apparent from these interactions that they had meaningful relationships with staff that were based on trust. We saw the person interacted with a staff member through touch. The person’s reaction during this interaction was warm and affectionate. The staff member explained to us how the person had recently started this interaction. Staff had spoken with the person’s relative who had described this as a sign of trust towards staff.

A relative spoke positively about all members of the management and staff team. They described the staff team as, “Wonderful, kind, caring, loving, like family and out of this world”. They confirmed, “I have no concerns at all.” They also wrote complimentary notes to the staff team expressing their gratitude. These notes reflected the kind and compassionate support the person received. One note said, “[Person] is doing so well, the team are so fantastic, and the staff are like family.”

All staff spoke about the person with respect, compassion and empathy. It was clear how much staff respected the person they supported. A staff member told us, “We have to all keep growing together, we have come so far but we have to keep going. The person we support deserves that.”

Partners valued the skilled and proactive approach from staff. The provider collated compliments from people who supported the home, including professionals and relatives. There were complimentary comments from professionals about the care people received from staff and the quality of the staff team. This included 1 professional commenting, “Staff teams are skilled, responsive, and proactive, with a clear understanding of each individual’s needs”.

There was a focused drive from leaders on dignity and the importance of always considering, improving and delivering this for people.

The registered manager worked innovatively with staff to ensure this was at the forefront of the care that was delivered. As well as dignity training and dignity champions, as part of monthly team meetings a staff member would take the lead on this as part of the agenda. The expectation was that staff would then deliver a training set to their peers which related to dignity and the individual living in the home.

Staff developed creative ways to share information and identify ways to improve and grow in this area. This included quizzes, presentations, interactive sessions and learning sets. Staff spoke positively about this and the impact this had on the people they supported. One staff member said, “It’s good to continually learn and grow, there is so much more to dignity than what we are taught in training. With the team meetings we get to see dignity from other staffs’ perspective, which is not something that we usually talk about or focus on in our day-to-day work.”

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.

The person’s individual needs and preferences were always considered, and this was reflected in how all aspects of their care was delivered. A relative confirmed care was individual and this was continually reviewed and adapted to ensure it was relevant.

The care home and environment had been purpose built to meet the needs of the individual living there, the provider had worked with the person and their family to ensure it met their needs as part of their transition into the home. The home had been personalised and adapted to meet the needs of the individual. The home was large and open planned, with widened areas and no doors, this was to aid safe movement for the person throughout the home. Speakers had been added to the ceiling as music was an important factor in the person’s life and development. . The music would then play continuously throughout the home as the person navigated different rooms, which we observed.

The garden included a dignity fence to ensure the person’s privacy and dignity was maintained when outside. The garden also included equipment which aided and reduced anxiety for the person. The home had been decorated with the advice from therapists. There were large, personalised pictures of the person completing activities they had enjoyed with staff and family members that were important to them throughout the home.

Staff communicated innovatively with the person to ensure they had the opportunity to express their individual needs and preferences. They empowered the person to express their individuality and have a voice. One staff member told us, “It’s so important that we listen to [person] to ensure we are getting it right. We have to sometimes listen differently, sometimes it might be by seeing what makes them smile or calms them down, but those are the things that make people individual, the small things that perhaps other people who did not know [person] may not notice.”

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

Staff empowered the person by supporting them to make their own choices. Through developing positive relationships with person, staff got to know them well and adapted their way of working to ensure they were treated individually and in a unique way. Staff took time with the person and those important to them to really understand what their individual needs and preferences were when they were not always able to verbally communicate this. Staff spent time with the person observing and recording their reaction to activities and tasks to ensure they were in continuous control of their life.

Relatives were actively encouraged to be part of this process and helped support the person to make key choices and decisions in their life. For example, the staff team had worked closely with the person and their relative to arrange a holiday which had reflected a positive experience from their childhood. The staff team had taken photographs showing this person’s experiences and had shared these with their family, so they felt involved and part of this. The relative told us, “It was lovely, we used to go on family holidays before and it was just like that again.”

The person was encouraged to be independent, and new skills they had learnt were incorporated into their daily routines so they consistently competed these. Care plans detailed how they should remain independent and the levels of support they may need with tasks. The person was now completing a morning routine which included making their bed and loading the dishwasher with minimal prompts which was something they had been previously unable to achieve. The person’s outcomes were continually monitored so their care could evolve. This ensured their levels of independence were continually reviewed and where appropriate increased. Staff continually reviewed this and encouraged the person to make positive changes.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes.

No concerns were raised to how the person’s needs were responded to. A relative confirmed they were kept updated about their relations care and if anything had happened or if any changes needed to be made.

The person’s needs were responded to promptly. The care they received was being monitored daily by staff who knew them exceptionally well. The person had regular reviews of their care which was an ongoing process, that staff, people and professionals, were involved with. When changes occurred to how the person’s care was being delivered, care plans and risk assessments were updated with the person to ensure staff had the most up to date information to offer support.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The provider focused on developing a positive culture for staff which was based on open communication and transparency. Staff played a pivotal role in the delivery of care for the person and spoke positively about how they were involved and valued. One staff member said, “Absolutely involved with everything, I am always listened to and asked about how things could change and improve, I feel my opinions are valued.”

Without exception staff spoke positively about the management team and the support they received. One staff member told us, “Not just at work, if I have a problem outside of this, I can approach the managers and I will be supported.” Another staff member told us, “I can reach out to any of the managers anytime.”

The provider embedded a positive culture where staff felt valued and good work was recognised. They offered an extensive range of support programmes for staff which included employee assistance schemes. Staff also benefited from a rewards scheme which included, team building exercises, awards and events, such as Christmas parties.

Staff were actively encouraged to progress within their role and many of the staff team had developed from care staff into management roles within the service.

The registered manager empowered staff to do their jobs and do their jobs well. They embedded the providers ethos of, ‘The difference that defines us’ into their service. They relentlessly worked to ensure they created an environment for the person where staff had a positivise impact on their life. Staff wellbeing was a priority for the registered manager, and this was evidenced by the low turnover of staff in the home. Many of the staff employed at the service were part of the person’s transition into the home when it opened and had remained part of the staff team since.

Staff also had access to relevant policies and procedures which supported their well-being. This included the workplace bullying and harassment policy which included information about staff support and discrimination they may face in the workplace.