Castleholme Lodge

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 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 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 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 who lived in the service knew staff well, were able to engage and communicate with them openly and were supported with kindness and compassion. Relatives were very happy with the care and support provided by members of staff and were always made to feel welcome.

A relative told us, “The staff are always polite, and they have really got to know us as a family. My relative likes the staff and always has ‘banter’ with them.” We also observed staff being respectful and kind to each other, and a positive working environment.

We observed positive interactions between staff and people, including staff maintaining privacy and treating people with dignity.

The management team actively promoted dignity and kindness by being visible and approachable throughout the home, listening to feedback from people, relatives, professionals, and staff. This reinforced a positive culture.

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.

People’s bedrooms reflected personal tastes, and we observed posters on walls, individualised accessories and bedding, and personal belongings.

People were supported to live the life they chose and were valued for who they were. Diversity in backgrounds, cultures, and personal interests was celebrated. For example, during the recent football world cup, the service recognised the teams England played against, and created events to celebrate their culture, which included cultural food, music and decorations, and people and staff wearing specific cultural clothing.

People’s religious needs were met, and the service provided a designated multi faith area and prayer mats for both people and visitors.

Records clearly reflected how individuals wished to be treated, supporting a personalised approach.

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

People were always encouraged to choose what they liked to do each day, and staff supported them to plan their day-to-day lives around their wishes. This involved both on-site and off-site activities. Staff spoke in detail about activity programmes at the service, which included protected one to one time with the occupational therapist each day, karaoke, exercise and ‘bedroom blitz’, which was developed to support people to manage and tidy their rooms.

People’s interests and preferences were fully explored, and support was flexible and could be changed as people’s needs and wishes changed.

The management team told us how people were encouraged to co-produce displays within the service, which offered them the chance to choose themes and ideas whilst being creative and given autonomy. An example of this was a colourful Easter display which included artifacts which had been crafted by people living at the service.

One person chose to co-produce and star in a video made for the providers website and was interviewed by the marketing team who published a co-produced article.

People were given the choice to plan individualised birthday celebrations, for example a party and can choose what type of cake they would like, and this is made to order by the kitchen staff.

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 demonstrated a good understanding of the people they supported, describing how care was tailored to meet individual needs and recognising behavioural triggers and signs of deterioration. For example, staff told us about a person whose mood fluctuated which affected their behaviour, and a way of supporting them was to take them shopping for specific items as a distraction. The staff member spoke about understanding the person’s needs and how their mood could be improved with early intervention. This ensured care was not only responsive but also meaningful.

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

People were supported by staff who felt valued by their leaders and their colleagues. The provider offered incentives and support networks to ensure staff were rewarded and valued for their contribution. An example of this was a mobile massage therapy van which visited the home monthly to provide staff neck and shoulder massages, funded by the provider.

People benefitted from staff who had regular opportunities to provide feedback, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve the home or staff experiences. Staff were encouraged to provide feedback in regular staff meetings, and felt their voices were heard.