Archived: Alternative House Care Home Blackburn

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.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

The provider was previously in breach of the legal regulation in relation to dignity and respect. Improvements were found at this assessment and the provider was no longer in breach of this regulation. People’s dignity and privacy was now upheld, respected and promoted.

The manager treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. The manager listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

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.

Most people and their relatives told us they were treated with kindness. However, one relative was unhappy that the provider was talking about their family member on social media. No names were mentioned but they felt the comments identified them. The provider subsequently made changes to their social media post to protect the person’s identity.

Staff told us they knew people well, know and understood them, including their preferences, wishes, personal histories, backgrounds and potential. One staff member told us, “We are one big family. When I look after someone, I put myself in their shoes, I think about it as though what I would expect if looking after my own Aunties and Uncles.”

We did not receive any concerns from health professionals related to kindness compassion and dignity.

People were relaxed and smiling with staff. We observed warm interactions between all staff and people.

At mealtimes, we saw people being supported patiently by staff who sat alongside them, chatting and promoting a positive mealtime experience. People appeared calm and happy in the home.

Family members felt staff knew their relatives well and delivered person centred support.

Staff spoke compassionately about the people they supported. Staff were able to share people’s histories and strategies on how to meet people’s needs in a dignified manner.

Staff were able to share details about people’s likes and dislikes. We observed staff supporting these preferences during our visit, such as when to get up in a morning (or remain in bed all day) and length of time it takes to eat a meal, so dessert was offered much later.

Staff told us they had completed appropriate training to meet people’s individual needs. They demonstrated an understanding of people’s needs and were able to recognise when individuals were becoming distressed and how to support them positively.

People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them. Throughout the day, we observed families visiting people at various times, and staff were welcoming to all visitors.

People had access to specialist equipment that promoted their independence, such as call bells, walking frames and sensor mats.

We observed people were offered choices regarding where they preferred to spend their time, such as in the lounge or in their bedrooms.

The provider knew how to access specialist equipment to promote people’s independence. They provided appropriate support so that people could access specialist support to maintain their independence and stay healthy.

People were supported when they requested or needed help. People were given help and support when they needed it, in a way that met their needs and wishes.

People were supported to stay healthy and well. Care plans detailed people’s health care needs and conditions. Records showed staff ensured people routinely attended scheduled health care appointments and had regular check-ups with a range of community health and social care professionals. Emergency health advice was sought quickly when this was required.

We saw staff spending time with people and comforting them when they were showing signs of distress.

Staff said the provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they enjoyed working at Alternative House and felt well supported and valued.

Policies were in place to ensure the fair treatment of staff members.

Staff spoke positively about the manager and provider saying they had received support when they were struggling with work and struggling with issues outside of the workplace. This enabled them to fulfil their job role and to maintain their own wellbeing.