Boston West Care

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.

Relatives consistently expressed high praise for the staff, without exception. They described staff as kind, caring, and compassionate, reflecting a strong culture of empathy and dedication within the service. This feedback highlights the positive relationships built between staff and the people they support, contributing to a warm and respectful care environment.

A relative said, “The care is very good, staff are so kind, caring and supportive, all the staff are just so amazing.” Another relative said, “I would describe the care team as professional in their day to day roles. I can’t praise the staff enough. The staff are simply wonderful, they are very respectful, caring and treat [family member] with the greatest of respect.”

Feedback from external professionals was positive about their observations of staff engagement with people, describing staff as, “kind and caring.”

Staff training information confirmed staff received training in dignity and respect and confidentiality.

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 care plans provided staff with important information about their history, routines, and preferences, including information about any protected characteristics. This information was being reviewed to ensure it was sufficiently detailed and fully reflective of people’s needs and wishes.

We identified little evidence of how people’s religious and cultural needs were met. However, relatives told this they had no concerns. We discussed this with the manager who showed a commitment to review how improvements could be made.

The service demonstrated a commitment to inclusive communication by supporting people whose first language was not English. Communication support plans provided staff with guidance on how to meet each person’s linguistic needs, including translated key words and phrases to aid understanding. Visual aids such as pictures were available to further support effective communication, and staff had access to translation apps to assist in real-time interactions. Where possible, staff who spoke the same language as people were able to engage in direct conversation, enhancing comfort and clarity.

A relative told us about their family member’s sensory loss and complex health needs. that impacted their communication and how well staff supported the person. They said, “Staff are very respectful to [family members] sight loss. Staff will make them aware they are approaching and will explain what they are going to do before they do it.”

Our observation found staff respected and supported people with their individual routines. We saw examples of how people had their preferred places to spend their time, and this was respected. When speaking with staff we found them to be knowledgeable about people’s care needs, routines and preferences.

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

Assistive technology was used to support people’s independence. For example, sensor mats were used to support people assessed as being a high falls risk. Sensor mats alerted staff when people were walking independently.

We observed people were supported in choosing what to eat and drink. For people living with dementia, pictures were available to support choice making. Whilst meal show plates were not used as an additional method to support people, the manager advised they would consider this.

People had unrestricted access to friends and relatives, with no visiting limitations in place, supporting meaningful connections and emotional wellbeing.

A dedicated care staff member was assigned daily to coordinate activities, with a visible timetable outlining the range of options available. These included celebrations of special occasions, themed events, and visits from external entertainers such as singers and a mobile zoo, enriching the social environment.

Positive feedback from relatives was received about activities and independence. A relative said, “Activities, I feel staff do a good job. For my [family member] they bought a wooden fidget board which I thought was good, they will often have it with them, staff encourage them to use it independently” Another example was given how a staff member regularly supported people to engage in games. A relative said, [name of staff member] will sit with [family member] and get them to join in. They are good and encourages them and praises when they’ve done well [family member] really likes this and responds positively.”

Resident meeting records demonstrated how staff were responsive to individuals’ preferences. For example, a popular entertainer was rebooked following direct requests from people, reflecting a commitment to listening and acting on feedback to enhance quality of life.

During our inspection visit we observed the activity coordinator on duty supporting people to make family trees, reminiscing about family and nail care including painting nails for those who wanted this.

People’s preferences and routines in relation to personal care was recorded to support staff of important information about people’s individual preferences. Some people preferred to spend most of their time in their bedrooms, and this preference was respected. However, care staff proactively encouraged engagement by offering opportunities to spend time in communal areas, helping to reduce the risk of social isolation. Importantly, activities were also made available to those who chose to remain in their rooms, ensuring inclusive access to stimulation and interaction regardless of setting.

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.

We observed how staff worked well together to respond to people’s individual care needs and requests for assistance. Staff worked well together using effective communication in ensuring people’s needs were responded to in a timely manner.

We observed staff to be attentive and responsive to a change in a person’s emotional needs. Staff accompanied the person with walking around the building and used a calm manner providing reassurance and distraction which the person responded well to.

Relatives told us how well staff knew and understood people’s individual needs. A relative said, “I think the staff really understand people's needs well, a few people get on well and seem to have friendship groups whilst there's others who don't get on well, the staff seem really aware and manage this easily.“

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

Staff were positive about staffing levels, they felt this was safe and sufficient. Staff told us they were supported to take breaks and how the management team were approachable, supportive and they felt valued and listened to.

Staff and the management team were confident there was a positive staff culture. Staff meeting records confirmed how the provider’s vision and values were discussed with staff. Improvements had been made to internal communication procedures to support the staff.

Staff were requested to complete a health questionnaire at the recruitment stage to enable the provider to make any reasonable adjustments to support staff health and wellbeing if required.