The Swallows

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.

The last rating for this key question was 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 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Relatives told us staff treated their loved ones with kindness and respect. The atmosphere within the service was relaxed and supportive. We observed staff interacting with people in a kind and caring manner. Staff told us, that because of the staffing levels, they had plenty of time to spend chatting with people.

One person’s relative told us, “The staff are very caring and aware of the residents needs and always look out for them.” Another relative commented, “The staff are lovely, always friendly and considerate.” A third relative said, “My loved on is happy there. They are being cared for with love and attention. I don’t want to move my loved one anywhere else.”

Staff told us they made sure people’s dignity was respected when they supported them with their care needs. One staff member told us, “When I am providing care to someone, I make sure I close the doors and windows, and I explain what I am doing for them as I go along. I put myself in their situation, so I treat the person with respect and dignity.” Another staff member said, “I encourage people to do things independently if they can, some people appreciate being able to do things for themselves.”

Despite the positive feedback from people and their relatives we did observe one interaction from staff during lunch time in the dining room. Staff supported one person to maneuver from a chair and failed to use safe correct moving and handling techniques. This posed a risk of harm to the person. We discussed with the registered manager who took appropriate action to address the concern.

Staff treated people as individuals. Relatives told us staff understood their loved ones and treated them as individuals. They said staff were able to manage and interact with people living with dementia. A relative told us, “The best thing about this place is the staff; they’re really kind and caring. They talk to my loved one and hold their hand. They style my loved one’s hair and are always looking to make sure they are safe.” Another relative commented, “The staff can deal with any situation quickly and they’re always kind and polite when talking to people. I’ve never heard them being rude to anyone.”

A staff member told us they had attended training on equality and diversity with the local authority over a year ago. They recognised people were individuals, and they tried to meet people’s diverse needs. They told us 1 person did not eat pork and their time to pray was respected. They also told us a Church member attended the home during religious celebrations such as Easter and Christmas. Another staff member demonstrated a good knowledge of equality and diversity and explained how they supported people from different backgrounds. However, they told us they had not received any training on this topic at the service. We brought this to the registered managers attention, and they told us they would include equality and diversity as a mandatory topic.

People’s independence, rights and choice were supported. There was an activities programme in place at the service. Activities planned for May and June included biscuit making, knitting club, memory games, arts and crafts, regular Wednesday morning singalongs, a Father’s Day celebration had been planned with a visiting singer, and afternoon tea in the garden. We saw photographs taken from a recent visit to a west end theatre. We saw examples of people’s creations at arts and crafts and knitting groups, for example yarn painting, butterfly collages and paper fans.

The provider employed 3 activities staff who planned and facilitated a variety of activities to meet people’s needs. We observed people engaged in a quiz and a singalong. Relatives spoke positively about the range of activities organised for their loved ones and the proactive way in which the activities coordinator and other staff encouraged people to engage in them. One relative told us, “The activities coordinator is so engaging, and tries so hard to get people involved. She’s very funny and my loved one is always laughing with her. Another relative commented, “The activities coordinator is very good at getting everyone involved in the activities and events. My loved one really likes the activities, particularly singing.” A third relative said, “The activities coordinator is so good at persuading people to get involved, particularly new people.”

Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. We observed that call bells were in reach of people who needed them. We saw that staff responded quickly when people used their call bells or when they needed support.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff. The registered manager told us a nurse from the local authority had visited the service to offer staff emotional support following an incident at the service. Staff told us when people passed away the home manager held meetings to debrief staff and, in some cases, staff received time off work.

We saw the minutes from a staff appreciation day held in February 2025. This was a chance for management to show staff their appreciation of the effort and hard work they exhibited. They prepared a buffet for the staff and gave staff a voucher as a 'thank you'. The provider also purchased personalised drinking beakers for each staff member.