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• 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 has 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.

People, relatives and health and social care professionals told us the service treated people with kindness and compassion. Comments included, “Since I’ve been here, I can’t fault the staff, they’ve all been good to me.” and “Staff are brilliant. They all look after me.” One relative said, “Staff are always very helpful.”

Throughout our assessment visit, we observed many examples of kind, caring and respectful interactions between people and staff. We saw staff knock on bedroom doors before entering and explained what they were doing, which showed respect for people’s personal space. People appeared comfortable around staff and told us their dignity was respected. One person said, “Staff are very kind and they protect my privacy when I am having a shower.” These observations reflected a consistent approach to maintaining people’s dignity and providing compassionate care.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

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

Before moving into the service, people were given the opportunity to visit and speak with staff and other people living there. This helped people understand the environment and make informed decisions about their care.

The provider focused on supporting people to access the community as much as possible. In-house activities were more limited, and the provider told us this reflected people’s preferences. However, some people told us they would welcome more opportunities for indoor activities. Some activities available included weekly piano lessons and reading clubs. People were supported to access the community regularly, and staff ensured they had opportunities to attended local events if they wished. One person said, “Whenever I need to go to the shop, they take me. If I’m not feeling up to it then they send someone to the shop for me.”

People told us they were empowered to be independent. One person told us, “I can get up and go to bed whenever I want. I’m happy with that. If I want to go out, staff will go with me to support me.” Another person told us, “I go into town on the tram. I also go to the park and visit [my family member]. I love my independence.” A member of staff told us, “I always encourage residents to make their own choices whenever possible.”

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.

When people became upset or anxious, staff provided reassurance and support. For example, when one person became upset, we saw staff support them to go outside for fresh air and remain with them until they felt better. Relatives told us staff knew people well and were therefore able to recognise when their family member was upset or unwell.

During our visits, call bells were answered promptly, and people told us staff responded quickly when they needed support. One person said, “Staff are brilliant. I love them. They are always there for you if you need them for any problems. They come quickly when I use the buzzer.”

We did not look at Workforce wellbeing and enablement during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.