Thurlaston Meadows Care Home Ltd

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 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 told us they were treated kindly and their dignity promoted by all the different staff teams working in the home. One person said, “Staff are kind and approachable.” People said staff understood what was important to them, because they were friendly and found out about them by chatting with them. One person told us, “You would have to go a long way in the country to find staff as nice as these.” Relatives and visiting health and social care professionals were positive about the way both people and they were treated by staff. A relative told us “Staff were absolutely brilliant. [Person’s name] went through a period where they were very scared and didn’t want to be alone. Some of the staff would sit with them, until they slept. That was a big help. They would have a laugh and joke with them. [Staff] were very good and sympathetic with them.” One health and social care professional said, “They are one of the best care homes, they really do care about people.” Staff greeted people by their preferred names, took time to interact with people, and chat with them. Staff told us they valued the bonds they had built with the people they cared for. People were at ease in the company of the staff caring for them, and said staff supported them to maintain their dignity. For example, by ensuring people’s privacy during personal care. One person told us, “[Staff] do my personal care. They are respectful to me, and they speak to me. When administering personal care they make sure that it is private, with closed door and curtains.” We saw when someone needed support to maintain their dignity the staff team worked together to ensure the person’s needs were met.

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 told us staff knew and responded to their values, preferences and treated them as individuals. One person said, "[Staff] know my likes and dislikes and I respect that.” Staff responded to people as individuals but also respected people’s unique partnerships and bonds. One person told us staff acknowledged how important their partnership was to them and said took practical action to support this. The person said of their partnership, “We support each other. [Staff] allow us our privacy and they are very respectful.” Relatives said their family member’s unique needs and wishes had been recognised and supported from their first tour of the home and in the way their rooms had been decorated and personalised. One relative highlighted their family member had come to stay at the home for a short period of time, but staff had ensured their room had reflected what mattered to them as an individual. Staff gave us examples of the actions they took to let people know they were valued. This included ensuring their care, food and drink and accommodation preferences were identified and provided, and by celebrating important events, such as people’s birthdays. Staff rechecked peoples preferences over time, so they could be sure their preferences continued to be met. Staff gave examples showing how they adapted how they cared for individual people based on their sensory and health needs.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People told us staff respected their rights to autonomy and independence but also understood when they may need extra support or equipment to do as much as they could for themselves. One person said, “I shower when I choose to, I do my own personal care. The staff respect and listens to me and know me well.” Another person told us, “I am able to be involved in the decisions regarding my health.” People said if they required specific types of cutlery to promote their independence when eating this was provided, so their control continued to be maintained. Staff recognised people needed varying levels of support to make their own decisions about their care, and gave examples showing how they encouraged people to make their own decisions, by showing them options to choose from. This included in relation to what time they wished to go to bed, and get up, where they wanted to eat their meals, and what activities people might like to do. We saw staff took time to involve people in the day to day decisions about their care, and helped people to decide where they wished to spend their time and what interesting things they wished to do. One person told us, “There are many activities available if you want to take part.” Other people said they enjoyed the social aspects of living at the home. One person said, “We have made friends and chat to lots of people here. It is so nice to be amongst other people.” Another person told us, “I keep in touch with family and friends, [staff] help me to use my phone.” People, relatives and staff told us there were no restrictions on people receiving visitors of their choice at the home.

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. People did not have to wait long if they wanted support from staff. People were complimentary about the prompt way staff supported them. One person said, “If I need something, I don’t have to wait too long to get it.” Another person told us they sometimes used their buzzer, if they wanted help from staff. The person told us, “We have call bells and staff are very responsive to anything we need”. Relatives said they could rely on staff to promptly let them know if their family member experienced ill health, or required unplanned hospital admissions. Staff regularly checked people had everything they wanted and were comfortable. We saw staff instantly assisted a person when they wanted support in an emergency. Systems were in place to check people received their support in a timely way.

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 now felt supported to provide good care and told us their needs were considered. For example, though adjustments put in place after periods of illness or bereavement, or to support staff with their own well-being and physical health. One staff member told us about the support they had received and said this had been sensitively dealt with. The staff member said because of this, “I think the [registered] manager is fantastic. I do think we are treated well as staff here.” Senior staff gave examples showing how staff were now supported through regular meetings and supervisions. The registered manager told us, “We also now have mental health first aiders and champions. Staff recently had the opportunity to go for a walk and coffee and cake together. It also helps the team to bond.” The registered manager said this approach was important because, “[Staff] look after residents and forget themselves.”