Norton 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 requires improvement. At this assessment the rating changed to 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. Significant improvements had been made since our last assessment and visiting professionals told us they felt much welcomed and there was a much-improved sense of staff and agencies working well with each other. People spoke highly of the staff team and told us they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity. Comments included, “The staff are great, I love the [staff]. They treat me with respect and if not, they’ll be told,” “Its smashing here” and “I get the care I need here. Staff are lovely, they know what they’re doing. They are kind and funny.” We observed some people had no locks on their bedroom door, should they want additional privacy. Whilst nobody raised a concern about this, we shared our observation with the management team who told us they would review this as part of the ongoing scheme of environment improvements which were already underway.

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. One person told us, “I suffer from anxiety, and [staff name] comes to my room and talks to me a lot and that helps me a lot to have someone to talk to. I am not one to get involved but [staff name] will come over and have a conversation with me and that has been the best medicine.” A family member also commented about a person being more active than they had been previously. They attributed this to improved staffing at the home. They told us, “[Name] appears to be doing a lot more. They are getting out [Name] has got new clothes.” Religious and cultural needs of people were clearly and consistently recorded in peoples care plans. People were encouraged to personalise and decorate their bedrooms as they chose.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Family members confirmed there were no restrictions to visiting people. One commented, “I can call any time.” People gave examples how they were encouraged to maintain their independence but received the right support when they needed it. Comments included, “They help me with anything I need, like my medicine, tidying my bedroom and I need help with dressing my bottom half” and “The staff are good, they know what they’re doing. Staff help me with anything I need. I try to be independent, but it is hard at times, so staff help me with anything I need.” Activities took place throughout our assessment and feedback was positive. We were told activities had greatly improved in recent months. One person said, “There are more activities, they are good, they get me out of my room.” Activity staff were passionate about their role and told us, “I just love seeing the difference we make with activities and seeing residents smile and have fun and bring their personalities out a bit more.” Other staff members spoke positively about the quality of activities available to people and told us how they had seen the positive impact this had on people. Staff members commented, “Having two activity coordinators has been really good for residents as they're kept busy and enjoy the activities” and “The activities coordinators have made a massive difference. The residents are more interactive.”

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. We observed staff responding promptly to people’s immediate needs. One person had to wait for a short period, however, when staff were available, they apologised to the person, and we observed positive and friendly interactions. Staff told us staffing levels and consistency had improved since our last assessment. Family members spoke positively of staff and how they supported people through periods of distress. One family member told us, “I couldn’t ask for better. Staff know how to treat [Name] when they are distressed. I feel [Name] is well taken care of, and I can relax when I am at home.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Most staff told us they felt much better supported, listened to and valued since our last assessment. Comments include, “Things are going fine. It has improved a lot since [the manager] started, we feel a lot better in ourselves,” “I am quite happy at the moment” and, “We have staff meetings, supervisions, flash meetings to discuss issues of the day, what’s going on and if we have any concerns about anything.” The provider had refurbished an area within Norton Lodge so staff now had a designated staff room where they could take their break. A new staff reward and recognition scheme had been introduced to acknowledge when staff had gone above and beyond.