Heathlands 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.

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 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.

One person told us, “I've been here a few months now. I think this home is the best. The carers are unbelievable, what they do for me I couldn't do for someone.” Another person said, “The other thing I would like to say is the carers here are really kind to me, they help me a lot.”

A relative said, “I haven't got anything, untoward to say about this place. The carers tolerance and understanding is amazing they are kind, caring and seem well trained, I'm amazed by them.” This feedback highlighted the emotional connection and genuine empathy staff demonstrated in their day-to-day care. Observations confirmed interactions were warm, respectful, and built on trust, contributing to a sense of safety and belonging for people living in the home.

We observed staff respect people’s privacy and dignity and knocking on people’s doors before entering. A member of staff said, “We respect people’s privacy, when giving personal care we place a sticker on the door and make sure curtains are closed.” During our walk around we observed these dignity stickers which made it clear no one should enter as personal care was being provided.

Beyond their routine duties, we saw staff members dedicated time to connect with residents on a personal level, demonstrating genuine care and concern for their overall well-being. This included domestic staff who contributed to the culture of care, taking time to connect and support people in the home with a quick chat.

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 were respected as individuals within the home and relatives told us this too.

Staff treated people equally at the home. A member of staff said, “We treat people the same and don’t discriminate.” A member of nursing staff said, “I noticed everyone was not being offered activities before. That has now changed and everyone has them.”

Activities were offered and we observed people participating, however we did note the provider could be more proactive to ensure people were offered activities that reflected their wishes and capabilities. For example, where people had requested more challenging activities this would have the outcome of reducing the risk of people displaying behaviours that caused distress.

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

Overall people felt they had independence, choice and control. We observed people’s private time was respected and no one was forced to do something they did not want to within the home. People were able to wake up and go to sleep at the time they chose and this was respected. Staff confirmed this to us with some commenting, “Everyone wakes up when they are ready, we document this, we know our residents.”

People were supported to have a visit from the pastor and could visit the hairdresser which they enjoyed.

Overall people were encouraged to be independent as much as possible. Where they could complete aspects of their personal care they did and where people were able to feed themselves independently this was promoted.

We did receive feedback from some people where they wanted to experience the local community more for their wellbeing, however, they were unable to do this independently and needed support from staff. This was relayed to the provider during feedback after the inspection. For example, one person said, “What would be nice is to get out more as I'm often just sat here. I would like to go to the local cafe or just out anywhere.” Another person said, “With these wheelchairs I have to rely on someone to push me and they [staff] all seem so busy but I still ask to get out. Yes, I really would like to get out more."

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.

People told us they did not have to wait long for support and told us they felt good they could rely on staff. One person said, “I now find it really difficult to get around cos my mobility is so poor so without their [staff] help I wouldn't be able to do much. Like, I only can walk with help which I'm given.”

We observed staff take the time to offer reassurance to people within the home which helped people become more settled. People had a member of staff who acted as their key worker this had the added benefit of staff getting to know people in more depth and being able to notice where people’s health and emotional needs may have changed.

Staff knew people well which helped them to respond promptly to their needs. Records confirmed staff took action to make people comfortable, followed care plan instructions to turn people and checked their mattress regularly to ensure it was working effectively, to prevent the development of pressure sores.

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

Staff described the home as having a supportive and caring culture. One staff member told us, “Compared to other places I've worked, this care home is brilliant. They actually care about us, not just the residents (though obviously, the residents come first!).”

Other staff did tell us they would like management to tell them they were doing a good job more often. This feedback was given to the provider and registered manager and deputy manager and they advised it would be taken on board. The registered manager and deputy manager said, “We do tell them [staff] that they do a good job but we will do more."