Cumberland 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.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. This the first assessment since a new provider has taken over the service. 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 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. One person told us, “The staff are always nice to me, they know what they are doing.” Another person said, “It feels homely living here.”

People told us they had their own rooms and organised this space with their personal belongings and things that interested them.

Staff knew people well and had formed positive relationships with people based on kindness and respect. Care and treatment was delivered in line with people’s preferences and wishes. We observed people had supportive and positive interactions with staff. One person said, “I can boast staff treat us well.” A visiting healthcare professional told us, “There is a real empathy shown and I have no doubt that the home has our service users’ best interest at the forefront of everything they do.”

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. Staff understood people’s individual needs and preferences and reflected this in their care, treatment and support. Staff were able to demonstrate how well they knew people and what they liked to do as individuals that empowered their wellbeing and independence. This included helping people set goals they wanted to achieve such as stopping smoking or reducing alcohol intake and developed individual support plans to help them achieve their goals. A healthcare professional told us, “Staff recognised our service users growing independence and suggested they have a gradual supported trial with managing their medication independently.”

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 supported to understand their rights using their preferred communication method. Staff understood that people’s ability to process information can change over time and ensured they regularly check people’s level of understanding and consent. One person told us, “I have free choice here, you can do as you like, and I can come and go as I please.”

People were encouraged to maintain social relationships with their friends and families. One person told us, “There are no restrictions from staff. My family visit me once a week and we go out for coffee and they come back to my room.”

People told us they had enough activities to do, whether this was going out independently or with staff. The registered manager had asked people what activities they would like to do at the service and people had asked the provider for a karaoke machine and games table which was provided for their use. One person told us they liked doing exercise and equipment had been provided for them to use.

The registered manager was exceptional in how they 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 showed genuine compassion and meaningful concern for people throughout the inspection. Their responses were timely, sensitive and personalised. On one occasion, when a person became distressed, staff took time to understand the cause of their distress and used a variety of techniques and engaging activities to help them feel supported and calm. They continued to offer support and reassurance for as long as the person needed, ensuring their emotional wellbeing remained central to the interaction.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Feedback from staff was positive regarding the support they received from the registered manager and provider. One member of staff said, “The management is very supportive we have regular meetings and supervisions and can approach them about anything.”

The registered manager told us there was an external wellbeing service that staff could access independently if they needed advice or support. The provider had also agreed to team building activities for staff to help the team develop.