Anchor Point Neurological Centre-Inspire Neurocare (Southampton) Limited

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.

There was a friendly and welcoming atmosphere at the service. We were introduced to people during a tour of the building and people were asked if they would like to speak with us. We saw and heard caring interactions between people and staff. For example, we saw a person asleep in a chair. A staff member came over to them, gently woke them and said, "Oh, you don’t look comfy there at all. Shall I help you to your room and you can have a nice little nap? You really do not look comfortable." The staff member then supported the person back to their bedroom.

Overall, people spoke highly of the staff. This included rehabilitation staff as well as housekeeping and kitchen staff. For example, people told us staff were “kind”, “delightful” and “caring.” A person told us they felt staff listened and respected them. They said, “Staff will help me when I need it and they check if I’m OK.” A person’s relative told us staff had been “exceptionally nice and kind.”

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 living at the service had multiple physical and health support needs. Care plans showed the service had taken time to fully understand people’s routines and personal choices for how they wanted to be supported. Most people we spoke with were happy with the opportunities available to them, although some felt they would like to do more. A person said, “I have plenty to do here, there are no time restrictions, I get to do the things I enjoy. I have plenty of visitors.”

The activities co-ordinator told us they planned activities based around rehabilitation sessions, taking into consideration people’s preferences and their feedback from previous activities. For example, we saw some activities were based around improving thinking skills and building hand strength for example, to support people’s rehabilitation. They told us they had recently started a gardening group which was well received. They provided group or 1 to 1 sessions, based on people’s preferences. They told us, “The people here, are quite honest and I can work on future sessions based on their feedback.”

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

Care plans we reviewed included information for staff on what people could do for themselves and areas where they would need additional staff support. Staff told us they promoted independence to support people to achieve their goals. A staff member said, “I try to involve people. For example, I’m not just offering someone a cup of tea I’ll ask them to come and help me make it, as it’s part of their rehab.” A person told us, “The staff do support me to be independent as much as possible. They get me to wash myself and my hair under their supervision and guidance. I can get myself ready for bed and I do the things that I can. Regaining my independence is important to me and staff know this and encourage me to do what I can and to carefully push myself.”

We heard a person ask staff if they could do some cooking later that day. The staff member agreed and told us it helped promote independence.

Some people wanted to access the community, with or without staff support. This was supported where possible, dependent on individual people’s needs. We observed visitors coming to the service across both days of the inspection. People’s relatives and staff told us there were no restrictions on visiting times and they were always made to feel welcome. For example, a person’s relative said, “Oh gosh, I'm definitely made welcome. As soon as I get there, I’m asked 'would you like a drink?' Every single person says 'good morning' or has a little chat. It's very welcoming.”

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.

Care plans for people who might experience periods of anxiety or distress provided guidance for staff on any known triggers, how to recognise signs of anxiety and the steps they should take to relieve this. Staff we spoke with knew people well and were able to describe in detail how they would support people during these periods and steps they would take to promote calm. A person said, “My mental health and behaviour is much better here because I feel staff listen to me and I feel fewer triggers.”

Overall, most people told us they felt staff were responsive to their needs. Although some people told us staff didn’t always answer call bells quickly enough, other people told us this had improved over recent weeks.

Staff used a nationally recognised tool to assess people’s clinical condition if they had concerns about their wellbeing. The tool supported staff in knowing when to escalate concerns about people’s health, and we saw how staff had used the tool with good effect and sought medical support in a timely manner. People’s relatives told us staff were responsive when people were unwell and kept them informed. A person’s relative said, “My relative, before here, was at another place and would get chest infections all the time and end up in hospital. [Name] had an infection on arrival here, but they investigated it thoroughly, and brought the doctor in. Since then, [they’ve] not had one, no sign of any infection.”

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

Staff told us they felt supported in their roles and received regular supervision. A staff member said, “[Management team] were outstanding with supporting me recently; they were really good.” Staff had training to give them the knowledge and skills to carry out their roles. All staff told us they felt more confident and competent since the recent provider focus on training.

Staff surveys were carried out. We were shown the latest full survey analysis from several months earlier, and an updated 'pulse' review which focused on how involved staff now felt and how they felt communication was within the service. The latest results showed generally positive feedback from staff.

A staff newsletter updated staff on new recruits across the provider’s service, shared news and gave staff an opportunity to nominate a colleague for employee of the month. The provider’s new values were reinforced in the latest newsletter, which staff were involved in developing.