Miranda House

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 since it registered with this 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.

We observed many positive interactions between staff and people. For example, we saw 1 staff member approach someone to support them with their lunch. The staff member said, “Hello [person], how are you? I've got something nice for you.” They went on to tell them what the lunch was, asked if it was nice and if they wanted more. We observed people being pleased to see members of staff approaching them and reaching out to hold hands or have a hug. Staff sat down next to people to engage with them. Interactions were relaxed and unhurried and focused on the person’s wishes and needs.

People and relatives said staff were caring and kind. Comments included, “They [staff] are all very caring and sort things out for you. If you need anything they will get it” and “The staff are kind, polite and caring. They are wonderful and do a hard job.”

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’s care records contained information on people’s needs and preferences. Staff were knowledgeable about people’s backgrounds and individual circumstances. Staff liaised with families regularly and where people were not able to communicate relatives were asked for key information.

People said staff treated them as individuals respecting their wishes and preferences. One person said, “They [staff] treat me as me. They are kind, they all are. I have a great relationship with [staff], they know I get up early.”

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

People said staff promoted their independence but were on hand to provide help if needed. One person said, “I like to be independent with help from staff. I like to get up at 6am, so staff help me and bring me tea and biscuits.”

Care plans included guidance for staff on things people were able to do for themselves and when they needed staff support. For example, in some people’s care plans it was recorded that the person could wash their face and hands themselves with staff support but needed full support to wash their back and legs. In 1 person’s care plan it was documented the person could eat independently, but staff needed to prompt them because they tended to forget about their meal. This made sure staff understood people’s independence was to be promoted consistently.

There was an activities programme available for people which included a range of activities indoors and outdoors. The service had access to a minibus which was shared with a nearby home managed by the provider. People were regularly visiting local services and community events. People confirmed they had lots to do at the service and were happy with what was on offer. Comments from people included, “There are things going on, I like the trips out and the farm is very nice” and “I like going out to the shops, going for coffee. There are good activities, I go along to singing, craft things and quizzes.”

There were no restrictions on visiting the service. We observed visitors regularly coming in to spend time with family members. The service had developed a refreshments area which we saw being used by families to help themselves to drinks and cakes.

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 to people in need. When 1 person was unsure where they should be and needed support with personal care, staff responded swiftly and made sure the person received the care they needed. When another person was calling out, we heard staff reassuring them. Records showed staff checked on people regularly throughout the day.

Leaders regularly monitored call bells to make sure they were being answered in a timely way. Any calls over 5 minutes were investigated by leaders to review reasons for the delay.

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

The provider had systems to support staff wellbeing and staff confirmed they felt well supported. Staff had access to a range of services to support mental health for example. This included free and confidential counselling and support. The registered manager said they completed wellbeing meetings with staff and reviewed support measures such as changes to shift patterns. They said, “We do all we possibly can to help staff feel listened to. I speak to the staff every day when I am doing my round. I always say thank you and make sure staff are not working too many hours. They also look after me and make sure I have food and drinks.”

The registered manager told us they were recruiting a member of staff to be a mental health advocate to support other staff. This role would provide staff with support such as signposting to resources and help available.