Maple Lodge

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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Family members were complimentary about the care and support for their relatives. Comments included, “[Name of relative] looks happy which tells us a lot” and “Oh yes to treating them with dignity and respect. We see them treating him very well” and “[Name of relative] looks fine, and well.”

The service had a warm welcoming atmosphere, and people were comfortable in their home and with the staff supporting them. Colourful pictorial and photographic notice boards of important information were on display in the entrance hall. These showed the lives of people who lived at the service alongside staff who worked there and their responsibilities for health and safety at the service.

Staff spoke to and about the people they supported with kindness and compassion. We observed staff knocking on people’s doors before they entered. Staff used people’s preferred names and used language, which was direct, encouraging and supportive. Interactions were positive, warm and caring and we observed staff communicating with people in their preferred communication style.

Distraction techniques used when needed were done sensitively and effectively to support people with other tasks which were important to them. A family member said, “Everyone is so nice and accommodates all [name of relative] needs and personality. [Name of relative] is very happy and safe with the staff, and the other people who live there.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Support plans took account of people’s strengths, aspirations and unique backgrounds.

Support plans included detailed and personalised observations. For example, 1 support plan noted: “[Name of person] will always offer staff a hand if they see staff cleaning or lifting an item. They will walk over to a staff member and hold the item to help whilst smiling.” Each support plan contained an ‘About Me’ section, outlining the person’s history, likes, dislikes, and preferred methods of communication, helping staff to deliver individualised care. A family member said, “We get a newsletter about what [name of relative] has been doing. It is individual to him but must be a struggle for staff doing it for everyone, but that’s what they do.”

People’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood by staff. For example, a person being supported to read the bible. They were encouraged to talk about their beliefs and go to church if they wanted to. People’s sexual and gender identity however had not been included in their support plans during the transfer from paper to the electronic system. The registered manager told us they would take action to remedy this.

People’s communication needs were met to enable them to engage in their care, treatment and support to maximise their experience and outcomes. We observed good interaction with people who had different and individual ways of communicating and staff were gentle and encouraging in both physical and verbal ways to support people to express themselves. A staff member said, “For me, helping is a way of showing care. Sometimes people thank me for the simple things I do for them, and it makes me feel good, especially when I see them doing the same things I did for them.”

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

People were supported to make daily decisions, such as choosing their meals, clothing, and activities. A family member said, “[Name of relative] looks fine, and staff always buy them new clothes because they have their money.” Another family member said, “The staff take [name of relative] bowling, to the leisure centre and outdoor gym, and they go to Clacton.”

Staff demonstrated a strong understanding of individuals’ preferences, hobbies, and interests. A staff member told us, “[Name of person] will get their shoes to tell us they want to go out. We show them a choice board and a now and next board.” Another staff member said, “Seeing people achieve their everyday personal goals, such as washing their hands, brushing their teeth, or washing up, makes me feel deeply fulfilled and reminds me why I value the work we do.”

People were supported to access the community and took part in keyworker meetings to decide where they would like to go. Activity timetables were in place to help staff ensure individuals attended the events and activities they had chosen. A family member told us, “With activities, [name of relative] does as much as they want to and staff try to get them out and about, especially being driven as they don’t like walks. They like puzzles, playing golf which they have introduced and helping with shopping.”

People were supported to maintain relationships and had access to their families and advocates where needed. People had visitors to the service, families were actively encouraged to visit, and people were supported to visit and stay with their relatives. This recognised the importance of social connections in promoting wellbeing. A family member told us, “We haven’t been there for a while ourselves but the staff that bring [name of relative] to visit us are familiar and fine.” Another family member said, “There’s no restriction on us visiting, and [name of relative] comes to us and they know in advance when they are coming. A third told us, “[Name of relative] is happy to come home here and happy to go back. If they were not treated well, they wouldn’t be happy to go back.”

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 responded promptly and sensitively to individuals, acting to minimise any discomfort, concern, or distress. During the assessment, staff escalated concerns about 1 person, and the registered manager responded proactively to ensure the individual received the necessary medical support without delay.

Staff knew people well and could anticipate what they needed and how they liked their support to be provided. Observations during the assessment confirmed that people were supported in a timely and attentive manner. Family members told us, “[Name of relative] has a good little banter with the staff and has one particular staff member who is with them a lot, but likes everyone that’s working there” and “They know [name of relative] very well and are in tune with them, and since the last inspection things have improved a lot” and “The key worker keeps [name of relative] occupied a lot more, and they are out and about accessing the community so it’s a more good quality life.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. A staff member told us, “I feel supported by [registered manager] 100% they are the reason staff stay.”

Staff felt valued and treated in a way which supported their wellbeing. People were supported by staff who felt valued by their leaders and their colleagues. They had a sense of belonging and the ability to contribute to decision making. A staff member said, “I feel supported by both colleagues and managers.”

Staff told us their workload was manageable. They felt listened to and the registered manager was responsive to their suggestions, views or concerns. A staff member told us, “Working at Maple Lodge for me offers a supportive environment where equal opportunity is genuinely valued.”

Staff supervisions, appraisals and staff meeting minutes showed how staff were supported and there were opportunities for feedback which promoted collaborative working.