Dalton 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 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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff had a good understanding of each person's individual needs, preferences, and personalities. Staff described how they promoted choice in daily routines, ensuring that people were actively involved in decisions about their care and supported in ways that reflected their diverse needs, wishes and preferences. A staff member told us, "First you knock on the door and ask permission to come inside, ... ask if can give personal care and what clothes they want to wear..."Another staff member told us they would treat people according to their care plan, they said, "The care you give to A should not be the same for B and you should read the care plan".

People and their relatives spoke positively about staff. Comments from relatives included, “[Staff] were all very polite, kind and friendly and nice to us all.” And “On the whole, staff are very polite and kind and all take time to listen to [people].”

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 person-centred care tailored to their individual needs. Staff understood each person well and supported them in making choices about their daily routines, preferences, and what was important to them.

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

The home manager informed us that they had made changes to the way activities were provided. A staff member who had been providing activities for people had been promoted to activities coordinator There was an activities programme. However, there was a noticeable lack of meaningful activities for residents, and care plans contained minimal information regarding activity provision.

Arrangements were in place for people to have a healthy and nutritious diet and residents received appropriate healthcare whenever they needed it. Cultural needs were also met by giving appropriate food and addressing choice. Staff explained good food and nutrition and skin care. They also said that they had enough equipment and support. However, some staff reported that meals were sometimes too small.

People were supported and encouraged by staff to remain independent. Care plans in place provided information on how to support people in every aspect of their daily living. People responded well to staff who engaged with them in a positive manner. We observed some good interactions between staff, for example, a staff member who assisted a resident with limited mobility during lunchtime. The staff member approached the resident with remarkable gentleness, carefullyadjusting [their] chair, speaking softly to explain each action, and ensuring [person] was comfortable while helping [person] to eat with dignity, this visibly reassured the person.

Staff gave clear examples of how they promoted choice and independence in a way that people understood. One staff member told us, "Yes, they [staff] do, they just encourage [person] to eat [their] dinner. [Person] goes to the toilet [themselves]. [Person] walks to the dining area.”

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.

Overall, we observed staff helping people in a respectful and sensitive manner. Staff asked people how they would like to spend their time, and this was supported. We observed some good interactions between staff and people receiving care. Staff understood the importance of how to respond to people’s individual needs. Daily records documented how people’s immediate needs were being met. However, it was observed that staff were sometimes unaware of individuals who required emotional support and reassurance. For instance, during mealtime, a person who found comfort in holding an object was asked by staff to put it down, resulting in visible confusion. This observation was communicated to the home manager, who confirmed that they would address this with staff.

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

Staff wellbeing was a clear priority for both the provider and the home manager. Feedback from most staff indicated they felt valued and consistently appreciated by the new home manager and some senior staff. The provider held various initiatives to further promote staff wellbeing. These included an 'Employee of the Month' whereby the staff member would be rewarded with a gift vouchers. This helped to celebrate individual staff members contributions and promote a positive team culture.

Staff told us they felt supported by the home manager. Staff received regular supervision meetings and monthly team meetings, giving them opportunities to discuss any concerns they may have. A staff member told us "Management are approachable. If something needs changing, they actually listen and try to sort it out. You’re not just a number here. I feel supported here. We have a good team morale."