Melwood Grange

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 inspection for this 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. One person told us, “Staff are excellent and kind but sometimes they are called and have to rush to other jobs.” Interactions with people were kind and considerate, with staff taking time to listen to people in a way that made them feel valued. People looked well cared for, were clean and dressed appropriately in clean clothing. We saw several people having had their hair done in the salon by the hairdresser. Staff were respectful of people’s privacy; staff knocked on doors before entering their rooms. People told us they felt comfortable and well cared for, they felt staff were very considerate, Staff we spoke with demonstrated a clear understanding of people’s preferences and needs, promoting dignity and emotional wellbeing throughout their care.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Staff actively promoted independence by encouraging choice and autonomy in daily routines and decision-making. People told us they could get up when they wanted and go to bed when they wished to. Whilst people were not happy with the food, they did say the kitchen catered to their choices and specific requests.

People were supported to come to activities but people’s choice to refuse was respected.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so individuals understood their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment, and wellbeing. People were actively involved in planning and reviewing their support, with staff encouraging them to express their preferences and make informed decisions. Staff supported people to do as much for themselves as they could and care plans included details of how to achieve this.

Handrails were available in all corridors to support people to mobilise independently. Where people lacked capacity to make their own choices, best interest decisions were made in partnership with relatives. Communication needs were documented in care plans, so people could be supported in the best way to be involved in decisions about their care

Where appropriate, people were supported to carry out tasks to maintain their skills and confidence.

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 were generally attentive and responsive, taking timely action to alleviate discomfort, concern, or distress. Staff were aware of signs of deterioration and acted appropriately to get medical support or emergency care when needed.

During the site visit, it was observed that people who were care for in bed, experienced delays in receiving support with their meals. Specifically, 4 people had to wait for a considerable period before staff were available to assist them with eating. In these instances, food was brought to their bedside tables, but people had to wait for staff to return and provide the necessary help. This waiting time resulted in the food being left unattended, getting cold? and could potentially impact the quality of the meal and the dining experience for those affected.

This was also confirmed by relatives. One comment, “Person was down in bed and food would be left on their table impossible to reach. When we would call for help, we would wait longer than expected, maybe 15-20 min; by that time their food would be cold”.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to deliver person-centred care. Staff were supported through access to relevant training and a positive working environment. Recognition events, such as staff awards were held to celebrate good practice and acknowledge staff contributions to the running of the home. Staff told us they were supported to progress within the business, and they valued this opportunity. Staff gave examples of positive outcomes when they needed to speak to a manager for personal support. Staff confirmed they had supervision sessions regularly with a more senior member of staff and supervision logs were maintained to ensure staff received their supervision at the right time.