Ash Tree

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. We saw positive interactions between staff and people, and staff took their time to reassure people and spend time with those who required more intense interaction. A relative told us, “I am happy with the home and the staff as they seem to know [Name] well.” Relatives confirmed they were able to visit their family member at any time, including visits out in the local community and overnight visits in the family home. Staff respected peoples’ wishes and gave them privacy where they wanted to spend time alone or did not wish to interact with others.

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 able to follow their own routines which included daily living skills, with a strong emphasis on going out and being a part of their local community. Staff supported people to set goals and achieve them. This included taking part in day activities and being involved in the day to day running of the service. For example, we observed a person directing staff to hang decorations for them in the kitchen. Staff knew this was important to the person and consulted with them and checked they were happy throughout this task.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Where people had set routines, staff respected these. Staff knew people’s likes and dislikes and planned activities to suit individual needs. A staff member told us, “We are led by what people want. This is very much people’s home, and they own it which is at it should be.” We saw staff supported people to do things for themselves as much as possible, through encouragement and verbal prompts, and people responded positively to this. Staff supported people to take positive risk taking to develop their independence, including daily tasks around the home and getting their own drinks and light meals.

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 knew people well and were able to respond to their needs in a personalised way. During our visits staff were observed to be responding to people's immediate needs. Interactions between staff and people were caring and compassionate, enabling staff to anticipate and meet people’s needs quickly and in ways that reduced and mitigated people’s discomfort and distress. A staff member explained, “We are good at identifying any changes (in people) and we keep detailed daily logs which help us to identify and respond to changes really quickly.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff described a culture that was respectful of diversity and created positive teamwork. They told us the registered manager was supportive and approachable. A staff member told us, “The best thing about the home is the culture. We have a diverse staff group and we are all treated equally; cultures are respected and valued.