Springfield 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.

This is the first assessment for this service under the new provider. 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 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.

The staff team displayed a calm and patient approach when supporting people. We also saw staff had time to hold meaningful conversations with people which allowed them to express themselves. People and their relatives told us the staff team treated them with dignity and respect. For example, we observed staff knocking and waiting for permission prior to entering a persons’ bedroom.

One person said, “I like it here. I like the carers. I can’t fault them. They’re all good and helpful. I see the same carers throughout the week. I would recommend this home to others.” A relative told us, “The service has improved a lot since the new manager arrived. The carers are brilliant with my family member. I’m happy and they are happy. They are definitely in a safe place. Their bedroom is fine, but they spend most of their time out of their room, looking after their two dolls. The carers treat them like a member of the family; nothing is too much trouble. When my family member gets upset the carers are good at calming them with gentle conversation. I would recommend this home to anyone. I can’t speak too highly of the way the carers go above and beyond.”

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 living at Springfield Care Home were respected and celebrated as individuals, with rich life stories. People were supported to maintain links with family, friends and their local community.

Relatives explained how the service supported their family members to remain active. One relative told us, “The care has improved over the last 6 months, but the care staff have always been the service’s best feature. The staff are good with my family member and they like spending time in the main lounge where they socialise well and the staff interact with them very well.” Another relative told us, “The carers are very friendly. They always go the extra mile. I have seen ‘the before’ which was good, but now it’s much better.”

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

There was currently no activities co-ordinator in place; 2 were planned for the enlarged staff team which will be recruited for a fully-occupied service. Staff we observed during the visit provided individual and flexible activities for people. This followed a planner, which covered a range of physical and mental exercises. During our visit, 2 people went on a walk in the garden with staff; others were engaged in conversation with staff, who gently prompted people, based upon their knowledge of each person. One person was assisted to play the electronic piano in the lounge. The registered manager confidently asserted that when the service is fully occupied and dedicated activities staff are in place, a wider range of activities will become available, including greater use of the garden and patio areas. One relative explained, “My family member will love the garden when it’s ready. She’s always been interested in gardening.”

Relatives were positive about the support in place for their family members to maintain their independence. People we spoke with told us they could plan their bedtimes and waking, what to wear and how to spend their day. People felt their individual choices and preferences were respected by staff. Care plans we reviewed had clear information on people’s preferences, wishes and feelings. Staff we spoke with understood the importance of respecting these and enabling people’s independence where they could.

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 understood the importance of responding promptly to people and ensuring they explained choices clearly, in ways that people could understand. Staff were responsive and gentle where people exhibited distress.

Where people required regular repositioning, to support with good skin health, we saw this had been completed and documented by staff. When people were assisted to move, this was done with care, consideration and with staff explaining to people what they were doing.

People were supported to maintain good nutritional health and to keep hydrated. We saw people were offered drinks and snacks, by staff regularly throughout the day, with people given choices of cold or hot drinks.

People and their relatives were positive about their or their family members’ mealtime experiences and the food provided. One person said, “The food is good. I eat most of the menu items, but they will make salads for me which are my favourite.” Another person said, “The food is very good and anything special that I ask for is usually available.”

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

The registered manager spoke of staff wellbeing being given priority since their appointment. Staff gave feedback this had a positive impact on the staff team. One staff member told us, “All the staff are a lot happier at work, there is no bad atmosphere, it is really nice to be able to feel like a family.”

Staff felt supported to bring the best of themselves to work each day. A staff member spoke of the improved approach of the registered manager where staff raised concerns or requests, whereas previously they had not felt listened to. Regular staff meetings were now held, to allow staff to share their views and discuss any concerns.