Bowden 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 80 (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. Staff were kind and caring in their interactions and responded to people in a timely way. There was a calm, inclusive atmosphere in the home and members of staff took time to sit with people and engage in conversations. People spoke positively about the support staff provided. One person said, “They [staff] are definitely kind and caring. They always put our needs first.” A relative said, “The staff are very respectful. They always knock on people’s doors first; they don’t just go in.”

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. The staff team knew people well and were aware of their likes and dislikes.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People accessed the community, visited family and friends and took part in activities of their choice. We observed people being supported to be independent. They were given choices and had control over what they choose to do. People told us how they accessed the community; some did this independently others went with staff. One person said, “They [staff] take me out many a time, I have been to the coast and trips to the peak district. I also go by myself to the gym regularly, I get the bus.”

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 respond to people appropriately and in a timely way when they required support.

The provider always cared about and promoted the well being of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff worked exceptionally well as a team and told us they felt listened to and valued by the homes registered manager and the management team in the service. Two members of staff told us they had experienced some personal difficulties over the last few months. They explained how the registered manager went above and beyond to ensure they could remain at work, making a range of adjustments and demonstrating exceptional empathy, compassion and understanding. Both staff said without that support they would not have been able to return to work and stay at work. This promoted their well-being and meant they were able to continue to provide care and support to people in the home. The registered manager promoted a work life balance with support provided around shift patterns and requests facilitated as much as is feasible.

All staff told us they were extremely happy in their roles and were able to speak to the management team about any concerns they had. Staff told us they received regular supervisions and felt extremely well supported. One staff member said, “We work well as a team I can talk openly and in confidence and am listened to.”