Tall Trees

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 service, due to a change in registration. 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 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. People and relatives were complementary about the care they or their family member received. One person told us, “The staff are kind and caring and everyone on both floors knows [family member]. The staff go that extra mile even though they are very busy.” Another relative said, “The care team are fantastic! I often marvel at the love and affection they give my [family member] in what is a very difficult job.”

During our observations we saw staff had a good understanding of the people they were supporting.Staff anticipated people’s needs, supported people in a kind and patient manner and treated people with compassion and care. A relative said, “I have no doubt that the staff are kind and caring and this has been shown in many ways particularly by those who have known my [family member] for some time and understand them and their needs and are able to pre-empt their moods and how to deal with the situation when they become unsettled. Even with the new staff their kindness shows through but when they are working under continuous pressure and stress it must be difficult for them.”

Staff reflected compassion and empathy when talking about people. One staff member told us, “People are treated with kindness and respect. Staff take time to talk with [people], listen to them, and support their preferences.”

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. Care records included information about people's life histories, interests, and preferences. One person told us, “I get to know the staff and the other [people], the atmosphere is always caring, staff speak and ask how I am.”

People’s care plans contained information about their preferences and life history. People were involved in regular reviews of their care where possible. People told us about their likes and dislikes and told us they had access to things they enjoyed. A member of staff told us, “One of most important things that Tall Trees care Home is doing, from my opinion, is respecting [people], offering care person centred, valuing and respecting individuality and offering people choices.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Staff promoted people’s independence which also helped people preserve skills and maintain routines. One person told us, “Staff help me wash and dress, I wash myself too, they shower me, once or twice a week, male and female carers does not bother me, staff are very good, got no complaints on that.”

There was a varied and busy activities programme in place led by an activities team and supported by staff. People were supported to make choices about how they spent their time and care plans included how best to support people in line with their preferences. We observed people engaging in daily group activities according to their preferences, which for some people, meant they frequently left and rejoined the activity which was fully embraced by the staff supporting. Activities during our visit included armchair quizzes and baking whilst one person was being supported off site to play a game of squash at the local leisure centre. Staff were respectful of any choices whilst still engaging on individual basis to avoid any social isolation. “One person shared, “They do daily activities, balloons, swimming pool noodles used as bats, local Church every fortnight, baking, painting, trips out, doing more things outside like planting. We had a coffee morning last week with a quiz, VE celebrations, have singers in, pat dog once a week.”

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. Staff knew people well and observed them to ensure their needs were met and that they were not in discomfort.

Nursing staff were always available at the service and worked with care staff to address any health concerns. Care records included information around how people displayed signs of anxiety or pain so staff could identify when people needed additional support.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. However, we received mixed feedback from staff regarding the support provided by the registered manager and the provider. Staff expressed concerns that their views on staffing levels were not always acknowledged by the registered manager. A staff member told us, “I don’t think we have enough staff to meet [people’s needs] in a timely manner.” Some staff reported intimidation, and a lack of respect from leaders towards staff. They expressed concerns about management style. The registered manager was taking action to improve staff wellbeing.