Westwinds Residential Care

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service.

This key question has been rated 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 service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

Staff felt they delivered a high standard of care which gave people dignity and promoted their emotional wellbeing. One staff member told us, “We are giving people good care. I always make sure people have privacy during personal care. I ask them what they can do and what they may need support with.” One relative told us, “The staff are very compassionate. They treat [person] with empathy and respect and are doing a wonderful job. Their support has really helped me too.” One visiting professional told us, “Staff are really friendly and upbeat with residents, and are very attentive.”

Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. One visiting professional told us, “Staff were really nice to me, and I have felt really welcomed in the home.”

The service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. For example, we observed one person being supported to their seat in the dining room and staff asked them if they needed a clothing protector. Staff kept on checking in with the person who asked for some condiments which a staff member brought for them.

The service took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. One person told us, “I used to work in an outside job and like gardening. I asked staff to get me some planting pots for me to plant [in the grounds of the home]. I asked to get a daily newspaper which now arrives early in the morning.” One staff member told us, “We have one person who really likes to look after themself. Their preferred lotions and perfumes are always available for them to use.”

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

The registered manager told us, “I like to connect people with the community whether that be going out to local events or inviting others to the home such as entertainers and a local primary school. I am proud of how people have been involved in decorating the home and making the grounds look good with plants.”

One person told us, “I used to be a keen bowler and staff asked if I wanted to do indoor bowling nearby. It was good and I would like to do it more.” One relative told us, “I am always seeing activities going on even at weekends.” Another relative told us, “Person loves music especially live singers, they love going to community dances with staff.”

The provider was exploring the possibility of hiring an adapted vehicle to improve accessibility to the community for everyone living at the home.

People had a lot of choice about how they wished their care to be delivered, including what to eat, wear and when they wished to be supported to get up or go to bed. One person had been enjoying watching the football world cup in the early hours of the morning.

The service 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.

Where people’s health concerns required to be escalated to specialist health agencies, this was done in a timely way, with staff providing support to prevent any delays. During our inspection, we observed staff, as part of their regular checks, identify one person was unwell. They requested support from the GP straight away. One relative told us, “When [person] is unwell, medical assistance is sought. Staff liaise with the hospital and keep me abreast of what is happening.”

We observed people were responded to straight away when they requested support. One person told us, “Staff come straight away when I press my buzzer." One visiting professional told us, “Buzzers seem to be answered quickly.” We discussed with the registered manager the need to ensure call bells were always available and in reach of people where required.

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

All the staff members we spoke with enjoyed working at the care home and spoke warmly about the registered manager and how supportive they were. One staff member told us, “Since [registered manager] came in, we are feeling a lot more supported. They recognise when we need time out and take over whatever we are doing.” Another staff member told us, “We have come on leaps and bounds since the [registered manager] came in. They bring a nice energy and are always available when we need it.”

Staff wellbeing and how to promote person-centred care was discussed in one-to-meetings with a senior or manager, and in team meetings. Handover meetings took place to ensure staff were up to date with people’s needs and risks. One staff member told us, “We have a staff messaging group where everything is confidential, and attend supervisions, team meetings and handovers.”

The home had recently introduced an employee of the month initiative which staff valued. One staff member told us, “Staff, residents and family members get to nominate for employee of the month and there is a cash prize. We feel much more valued and appreciated because of this and we are informed of the winner by [messaging group].”