Steep House Nursing 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 newly registered service. 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.

Staff were seen to smile and treat people with kindness, respect and compassion. A person commented, “The girls are ever so nice, lovely they are” and a relative said, “It’s very kind, caring and particularly friendly.”

People’s dignity was seen to be upheld during the provision of their care. We noted staff spoke discreetly about people’s care needs. A relative also told us, “We asked for female carers… and [person’s name] has this.”

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.

Staff were provided with a range of detailed information about people and their preferences, through their care plan and their ‘All about me’ document. We saw staff knew and acted upon people’s preferences. Staff ensured a person’s preferences about both their dining experience and the layout of their dining table, were met, which also supported their independence. People were celebrated; we saw their photographs were displayed in the communal areas of the home.

Staff provided people with culturally appropriate care in consultation with them; their care delivery reflected their preferences and wishes, for example in relation to their choice of meals. People’s religious beliefs were noted and staff told us people were supported to attend services.

People’s care plans provided staff with clear guidance about how to communicate with them. Staff had access to guidance in people’s care plans about their communication needs and how to communicate with them, including people who were non-verbal. There was guidance for staff about how to enable communication, through the use of speech, body language, tone of voice and when best to communicate with people.

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

People's care plans documented their abilities, for example if they could re-position themselves, or if they preferred to clean their own teeth. Staff were observed to consult people about their care choices throughout the inspection. Staff told us they always ‘ask what they [people] need,’ and said they were ‘always giving them [people] choices’.

People including those cared for in bed had access to activities, which were meaningful for them. The registered manager showed us some people had their own personalised activities boxes, which contained one to one activities which reflected their interests and needs. People and relatives confirmed there were a range of group and one to one activities for people. There were no restrictions on people’s visitors.

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 not everyone could express themselves verbally if they needed help. A staff member said, “We observe people it could be eye contact or they are fidgety, we can read body language, they may not be able to settle or get to sleep.” We saw staff, and the registered manager knew people very well and responded to their needs promptly and kindly.

We saw at lunch the head chef noted the non-verbal signs a person was not happy with their meal and immediately offered to remake it for them, which they did and the person clearly enjoyed it. The head chef was very knowledgeable about this person’s preferences and responsive to this situation which they addressed quickly.

People had access to their call bells, which were within reach. We also saw staff completed regular checks upon people who were unable to make use of a call bell.

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

There was a clear focus on the retention of staff. This was achieved by ensuring new staff felt welcome and supported when they started work. Staff were asked if any reasonable adjustments were required to enable them to do their role as part of the recruitment process.

The provider held a recent colleague appreciation week, where the aim was to celebrate colleagues work ethic, passion and commitment to their role. The provider also had a range of benefits and award schemes to recognise and support staff.

Staff spoken with told us they felt well supported in their role and with their wellbeing.