Dorking Manor

On this page

• Overview
• Person-centred Care
• Care provision, Integration and continuity
• Providing Information
• Listening to and involving people
• Equity in access
• Equity in experiences and outcomes
• Planning for the future

Responsive – this means we looked for evidence that the provider met people’s needs.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated Good.

This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.

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 made sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices and they decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs.

Staff knew people well and this was helped with good background information on people in their care plans, together with information about their life history. Care plans also included detail on how people liked their care and how they wished their daily routine to look like.

Staff followed people’s care plans. For example, 1 person required staff to speak with them in short sentences to aid their understanding and we heard people do this.

Staff understood the importance of knowing people. They told us, “I think it’s easier to understand them as a person and their needs, what they like, their preferences, what they like to do”, “It’s important that new staff are aware of people’s history, if they can have a conversation. Having dementia, they can be very confused. Staff should explain to them” and “I like to know stuff. There are residents who will tell me their life history which I love and I encourage them to tell me. There is information in the care plans but nothing beats speaking (to people).”

The provider understood the diverse health and care needs of people and their local communities, so care was joined-up, flexible and supported choice and continuity.

Staff recognised the importance of sharing the local area with people and creating opportunities for them to be part of their wider community. Garden harvests, live music and trips across the county were organised, and the service held its first ever dog show, which was attended by people from the local community. Some events also raised money for local charities, helping people to feel connected to and involved in their community while making a positive contribution to others.

As part of this commitment to people, the service had invited in a group of local motorcycle enthusiasts to spend the morning with people. This gave people the opportunity to see the motorcycles up close, meet and talk with the riders and hear stories about their experiences.

The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.

There was information displayed around the service for people. This included the menus and activities planner. It was evident people reviewed the information made available to them as we heard people talking about the carpet bowls activity which took place in the afternoon and 1 person told us, “There is something going on morning and afternoon – I’ll show you the (activities) sheet.”

To support some people living at the service, staff used a writing board. This aided people’s understand and ease of conversation between them and staff.

The provider made it easy for people to share feedback and ideas, or raise complaints about their care, treatment and support. Staff involved people in decisions about their care and told them what had changed as a result.

People were encouraged to contribute to the life of the service in ways that reflected their individual skills, interests and previous experiences. One person was an avid artist who rekindled their passion for painting after moving to Dorking Manor. Once they had completed a number of paintings, staff organised an art exhibition where other people and visitors could view and purchase their work. Other people were supported to share their interests and experiences with others, including leading craft sessions, giving a talk about their experience of being an empty-nester and delivering a presentation about real ale.

Activity and food forums were held together with resident and relatives meetings. These supported people to give their views, feedback and suggestions and the service had a complaints policy which was shared with people. People told us, “If I had a problem, I would see [registered manager]” and “It depends on the complaint who I would choose to see. I’d probably see 1 of the staff on this floor.”

The provider made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it.

People were supported to access care and treatment as and when they needed it. One person had complimented staff for their initiative with arranging health visits and ensuring all the medical care they needed was provided. As a result, this had helped improve their quality of life.

Staff accompanied people to medical appointments using hospital transport or taxi services.

The service employed a workforce to meet the needs and preferences of people. This included ensuring there was a mixed workforce for those who may only wish gender-specific staff to provide their care. We were told, “It’s all about preparedness and awareness. We are moving into an age group of residents who have been more open about sexuality, so care staff need to be more aware of how to care for people appropriately. One person chose not to socialise with male residents. We respected this and made sure they did not sit with males.”

Staff and leaders actively listened to information about people who are most likely to experience inequality in experience or outcomes and tailored their care, support and treatment in response to this.

People were supported to maintain the relationships that were important to them, with staff taking a flexible approach to meet people’s needs. One person was supported to attend their son’s wedding accompanied by staff of their choice, while another continued to attend church every Sunday. The whole-home approach promoted equality and inclusion, with staff from all disciplines working together as one team to support people. Staff were seen providing care, serving meals, undertaking housekeeping and distributing freshly laundered clothing.

Activities were also arranged with everyone in mind with people telling us, “You don’t have to join in, but I think you miss out if you don’t”, “They do some good things – lots of musicians and singers and they had a quiz yesterday” and “I do the exercises and the bowls.” A relative told us, “The activities he picks and chooses a little, but generally wants to join in. From morning walks around the gardens to singers, bowls, movies, see visiting motorcyclists or the fire brigade, outings, he enjoys being part of the community having fun together.”

This meant people were treated equally and enabled to participate in the life of the service in ways that suited their individual preferences.

People were supported to plan for important life changes, so they could have enough time to make informed decisions about their future, including at the end of their life.

People were invited to discuss their end of life wishes, how they would like to be cared for, where they would like to be and who they would like with them. Where people had ‘do not resuscitate’ agreements in place these were recorded and some people had ReSPECT forms completed which provided essential information should they need to be admitted to hospital at this time of their life.