Archived: Tollington Lodge Rest 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. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 ethos of the service was always to treat people with kindness, empathy and compassion, and respecting their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. People and staff were observed to be relaxed in each other’s company.

People and their relatives told us they were treated with kindness and dignity and staff and managers were available to talk to when they wished to talk to them. One person said, “Its good, the staff are friendly.” A relative said, “They offer drinks, sometimes they can be under pressure but they are always polite, professional and funny.” A professional told us, “I have always found the manager and their team to be very warm, welcoming and transparent."

People were treated as individuals and staff 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 life history was recorded in a document entitled ‘maintaining my identity’ within people’s care plans.

People’s bedrooms were individualised and arranged in ways they wanted. For example, they had personal photographs and possessions displayed. Additional seating had been provided in rooms to enable people’s visitors to spend time with them.

People were supported in line with their religious preferences, some people went to church with their families or friends. People were supported to celebrate religious festivals, and parties and celebrations were held for events which had meaning for people. We observed people taking part in VE day celebrations, which included a buffet and quiz, which appeared to be enjoyed by people.

Staff knew people well. A professional told us of 1 person, “They know them as a person, their nuances, they feel safe and cared for here not just looked after.”

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

People’s care plans recorded their likes and dislikes and routines they liked to follow.

Care plans demonstrated communication methods used by people. Approaches for staff to use to communicate effectively with people in a way which suited their preferences were recorded, this included for people with limited verbal communication.

Staff engaged with people in a meaningful way, people were asked what they wanted to do, and their choices were respected. When people were supported, staff considered the person’s abilities and explained what was happening at each stage of the support. This included when people were being supported to use their moving and handling equipment.

All staff listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. They responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Care plans contained information about how frustration may present itself for people and how to reassure and support people if they were distressed.

People had call bells within reach to call for assistance. We observed when people requested support they were provided with prompt support from staff. Staff told us they knew people well and would recognise subtle signs people may be in pain.

During our visit a person fell. We observed staff responding calmly, they listened to the person and provided reassurance. When staff assessed if it was safe to support the person from the floor, this was done at the person’s pace, and they were provided with time and support to process and reflect on what had happened.

A professional told us, “The atmosphere has always felt calm, and I have noted that staff seem attentive to the residents and their needs."

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. They supported staff with their work life balance. Reasonable adjustments and flexible working patterns were discussed during the recruitment process, and any support staff required was regularly discussed in their supervisions. Annual awards were held to celebrate staff achievements.

Staff told us they were well supported and could raise any issues or concerns they had to the managers. Comments included managers were, ‘honestly amazing’ and ‘always there for us’.