Highwood Care Home

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 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.

People received kind and compassionate care from staff who used positive, respectful language which people understood and responded well to.

Staff saw people as their equal and created a warm and inclusive atmosphere.

Staff relationships with people were caring and supportive. Staff spoke confidently about people’s specific needs and how they liked to be supported. Through our conversations with staff, it was clear they were very committed and kind and compassionate towards the people they supported. They described how they observed people’s moods and responded appropriately.

Staff treated people with dignity and respect when helping them with daily living tasks.

Staff told us how they maintained people’s privacy and dignity when assisting with personal care. For example, asking what support they required before providing care and explaining what needed to be done so that the person knew what was happening.

We saw all staff treating people with kindness and respect. They respected people’s choices, for example they knew who liked to keep their room doors open and who did not.

Staff were patient and used appropriate styles of interaction with people.

Staff were calm, focused, and attentive to people’s emotions and support needs such as sensory sensitivities. Staff members showed warmth and respect when interacting with 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.

Care plans contained information about people’s history, which provided a timeline of significant events which had impacted on them, such as their physical and mental health. This helped staff to provide appropriate, individualised care and support.

Staff knew people well and provided care and support which was person-centred and took account of their needs, wishes and preferences.

We saw all staff treating people as individuals in line with their personal, cultural, social, and religious beliefs. Staff ensured full consideration of people’s relevant protected characteristics.

Throughout our visits we saw staff involving people in their care and allowing them time to make their wishes known. People’s individual wishes were acted upon, such as how they wanted to spend their time.

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

Care was personalised and staff worked to deliver person-centred care which maintained people’s dignity with understanding.

Staff asked people if they needed any support even if they were known to be independent to ensure they felt cared for. People were encouraged to remain as mobile as possible.

Throughout our visits we saw people being encouraged by staff to be as independent as possible. For example, whilst mobilising around the home, joining in activities, and eating independently with the aid of adaptations.

People were supported to maintain relationships and networks that were important to them, this included access to their friends and family. For example, care plans documented the importance to people of seeing their family and friends.

Activities formed an important part of people’s lives. People engaged in a variety of person-centred activities. For example, outside entertainers, games, arts and crafts and celebrating key times of the year. On the first day of our assessment, a group of people came in to talk about a steamboat and its history. ‘Virtual reality’ goggles were available to increase people’s experience. Virtual Reality is a computer-generated 3D digital environment that users can immerse themselves in and interact with, typically using a headset, to feel as if they are experiencing a new world or a simulated one.At the end of the session, people joined in singing sea shanties.

There was a range of appropriate equipment to support and maximise people’s independence and outcomes.

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 felt, in the main, staff responded to their needs in a timely manner. Staff confirmed people’s needs were met in a timely manner.

Staff knew people well and could recognise if a person was worried or unhappy. This meant any concerns about people’s well-being could be identified and followed up.

We observed staff were present and accessible to people and responded promptly when people required their support.

Call bells were not ringing for long periods of time during our visits.

Staff were alert to people’s needs and took time to observe, communicate and engage people in discussions about their immediate needs.

Call bell audits were carried out, to monitor response times, to ensure people’s immediate needs were met.

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

Staff felt respected, supported, and valued by the management team which supported a positive and improvement-driven culture.

The service worked hard to instil a culture of care in which staff truly valued and promoted people’s individuality, protected their rights, and enabled them to develop and flourish. A staff member commented, "The team are great, and we all work together, it's a whole home approach from the get-go, we're all here to support the residents, no one says it's not my job. All the staff treat residents and other staff with respect."

The management team werevisible in the service, approachable and took a genuine interest in what people, staff, family, and other professionals had to say.

The provider promoted equality and diversity in all aspects of the running of the service.

The provider set a culture that valued reflection, learning and improvement and they were receptive to challenge and welcomed fresh perspectives.