Chestnut Lodge Care Home

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.

People and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring. Comments from relatives included, “They have a kind and gentle approach with the residents they care for”, “Every one of the staff are friendly and upbeat that makes a huge difference”, “I think that the staff know [family member] really well, “They are great in every way possible. They interact well and they feel comfortable with them. I have had no complaints with the staff.”

We observed staff being kind and compassionate during our assessment. People were offered choices and seemed happy with the care provided. Staff told us they were respectful of people’s wishes and understood how to treat people with dignity. The provider supported staff with training and guidance, and expectations were outlined in the providers staff handbook and policies.

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 received personalised care and support with care that was shaped around their strengths and aspirations. Staff knew people well and took time each day to see how people were and what support they needed. Each person had a keyworker who built a good rapport with them and worked with them to understand what matters most to them. People’s individualities were celebrated, including their cultural needs, communication styles and relationships which were important to them.

People and relatives were actively involved in planning their care. One person told us, “[Staff] always ask what I would like to do for the day, they support me as and when I need it.” Staff told us they were flexible in their approach with people, depending on how the person was on any particular day. Staff comments included, “It’s not about us [staff], it’s about supporting people in the way they want to be helped on a day by day sometimes hour by hour basis,” and “They are all individuals and just like us, sometimes days are good and sometimes they are not. We work with how they are feeling at the time.”

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

Where people were able to, they chose what they liked to do each day. Staff supported people to plan their day-to-day lives around their wishes. A staff member said, “Wherever people have the capacity to do so, they are encouraged to make their own choices, and we do what we can to make it happen for them.” We observed staff offering choices to people about how they would like to spend their time and what they would like to eat.

We noted there were individualised activities programmes in place for people to enjoy. The activities coordinator told us they met with people to understand what activities they would like to engage in. Their interests and preferences were fully explored with them and an individualised programme was drawn up. We were told this was flexible and could be changed as people’s needs and wishes changed. People told us they enjoyed their activities and found them interesting and engaging.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff knew people well and were able to recognise the different ways in which people communicated their discomfort, pain or distress. People’s care plans included detailed information about people’s health and wellbeing needs and provided guidance to staff on how to recognise when a person may be unwell or require healthcare professional input. A health professional working with the service told us, “Staff know people well, they recognise when a person is unwell and can usually take preventative action before urgent care is needed. For instance, chest infections are picked up very quickly.”

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

Staff felt empowered and passionate about their roles, and many expressed a sense of pride and appreciation for the recognition they received. The service recognised and valued staff contributions through nominations and awards. Staff turnover was low and this reflected workforce wellbeing and the satisfaction staff felt working at Chestnut Lodge. Staff comments included, “I feel well supported and valued, much more than any other homes I have worked in”, “I get good support from my manager and from other team members”, “The registered manager and other managers support my well-being as they are very approachable, supportive and always available to listen,” “As key-workers we have time for our residents to have tea and a conversation with our residents, this is good for the wellbeing of all of us.”

The provider supported staff in their professional growth by providing opportunities to progress into senior roles. Leaders supported staff to take on additional responsibilities to enhance their skills and wellbeing.