Safe Harbour Dementia Care Home

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.
At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people’s needs were met through good organisation and delivery.
 

This service scored 79 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff were exceptionally good at making sure people were at the centre of their care and treatment choices. They decided, in partnership with people, how to respond to any relevant changes in people’s needs as well as focusing on what mattered to them.
People received highly personalised care and support that consistently reflected their individual histories, preferences, relationships, culture, faith and lifelong interests. Staff took time to understand what mattered most to people and used this knowledge to create meaningful experiences that enhanced wellbeing, promoted inclusion and enabled people to maintain a strong sense of identity. There was a strong culture of listening and responding to even small pieces of information shared by people and their families. Staff used this understanding to develop creative, and often bespoke, activities that had a significant impact on people's emotional wellbeing. For example, after learning about 1 person's love of superheroes and recognising that they had become increasingly withdrawn and distressed in larger group settings, staff organised a personalised superhero-themed birthday celebration in their room. Family members told the service they had seen [person] laughing, engaging. People's life histories were valued and used to shape meaningful experiences. People who had previously owned pets were supported to engage with regular therapy dog visits, enabling them to reminisce about important relationships and experiences from their past. One person became visibly emotional when interacting with the therapy dog as it reminded them of their previous life on a farm, while another overcame fears and confidently interacted with the dog. These experiences promoted emotional wellbeing and enabled people to reconnect with memories that held significant personal meaning.
Staff demonstrated an exceptional commitment to ensuring people could continue important life traditions and maintain relationships. Such as transforming a dining experience on Valentine’s Day so 1 person could celebrate with their spouse.
Staff went above and beyond to ensure people could celebrate significant milestones in ways that reflected their wishes and personal preferences. Birthday celebrations were highly individualised and designed around what mattered most to each person. Examples included a western-themed 90th birthday party for 1 person, a princess-themed celebration for another, and a family-centred birthday gathering that enabled a person to spend precious time with their family member shortly before their death. Families consistently described these occasions as special, meaningful and memorable, with many expressing gratitude for the lasting memories staff had helped create.
The consistent creation of meaningful experiences, combined with the service's ability to respond creatively to what mattered most to people, demonstrated an exceptional level of personalised care and support.
People's experiences showed that staff did not simply provide activities; they created highly personalised opportunities that promoted dignity, emotional wellbeing, relationships, identity and a sense of belonging. This had a profound and lasting impact on people and those important to them.
 

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.
Care records showed involvement from professionals including GPs, speech and language therapists, district nurses, falls teams, diabetic nurses, physiotherapists and opticians. Staff used professional advice in care plans, including guidance about nutrition, hydration, mobility, skin integrity, diabetes, oxygen use and communication.
The provider had systems to support continuity of care.
Family and Community Support meetings were hosted by the provider and were open to relatives and members of the wider community who supported people living with dementia. These sessions offered education, peer support and opportunities to reduce isolation.
 

The provider developed appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.
The provider supplied appropriate, accurate and up-to-date information in formats that were tailored to individual needs.
We saw pictorial menus, and records stated that people were offered choice and that diets were catered for. Staff also used individual communication plans to guide how they shared information with people.
For example, care plans recorded people’s hearing, eyesight, preferred topics of conversation and the best ways staff should communicate with them.
Staff had training and support to understand people’s sensory and communication needs. The service worked with an optician service to train staff about how eyesight changes can affect people living with dementia.
 

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, relatives and professionals were positive about how the service listened and responded. A professional described the home as personalised and said communication was good. Relatives told the us staff kept them informed and that they could speak with staff if they had concerns. Staff also described managers as approachable and said they felt able to raise issues.

The registered manager had systems for listening and responding to feedback. Resident meetings took place, relatives were involved through community support sessions, and the provider had policies for complaints, suggestions and compliments. Records showed the last complaint reviewed had been investigated and responded to.
 

Staff made sure that people could access the care, support and treatment they needed when they needed it. They considered barriers people may experience because of dementia, frailty, communication needs or sensory impairment. Care plans included guidance about glasses, hearing aids, communication preferences and how staff should support people to understand and make choices. Staff had additional training on dementia, equality and diversity, nutrition and hydration, communication and eyesight changes.

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.
Staff recognised people as individuals and considered their life histories, identities, communication needs and protected characteristics. and guidance on how people wished to be supported. This enabled staff to deliver personalised care that reflected people’s experiences and preferences.
Staff completed training in equality, diversity and dementia care, helping them understand potential barriers and adapt support accordingly. The provider also achieved Veteran Friendly Status through an external framework. Independent feedback described the application as exceptionally high quality and recognised the service as only the second care home nationally, and the first in the North West, to achieve this status. This demonstrated the provider’s commitment to recognising people’s life experiences and promoting inclusion.
 

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 supported to plan for future changes and make informed decisions about their care, including end of life wishes. Care plans recorded people's preferences, advance decisions and DNACPR arrangements where relevant. End of life care was a strength of the service, with Six Steps accreditation, reflective learning following deaths, and support for relatives. A healthcare professional described the home as going above and beyond at the end of life. Staff regularly reviewed people's changing needs, monitored key health risks, and sought professional advice when required to ensure timely, person-centred care.