Wadhurst Manor

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 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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

The atmosphere in the home was welcoming, friendly, busy but calm. People felt they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day-to-day care and support. One person said, “Lovely here, good people, everything is great,” “I do like it here, took me a while to settle but that was me I’m afraid, strange to get used to one room and lots of people about, but its good, staff are nice,”

Visitors told us, “Very kind and my relative is happy, staff are all very lovely, listen,” and “No problems with how staff are with my relative, always clean and well dressed,” and "The staff are very kind. There are always time pressures, but they are always very good to her." Another relative told us, "Receptionist always friendly and warm, if we are having a bad day or going through something they make you feel better."

Health professionals told us, “Staff are knowledgeable, very good, interactions are polite and friendly,” and “Staff are always kind and polite to people, good amount of humour shared.”

Our observations told us staff were respectful and kind when assisting people with lunch or moving around the home. The mealtimes were calm with dedicated staff supporting people in a positive way, encouraging independence through prompting. Staff sat beside people when chatting so they had good eye contact and could be heard easily. We saw warm interactions between the registered manager and people, greeting people around the home, holding their hand, getting them cups of tea. People and visitors, we spoke with knew who the registered manager was and spoke of his kindness and how respectful he was.

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 knew people’s individual preferences, routines and the ways people preferred to receive support. They were able to discuss these in detail, and which were reflected in the care plans. People received care from staff who knew them well and understood what was important to them. One person said, “They know how to look after me, know my limitations but always encourage me in so many little ways.”

Staff adapted the way they communicated and provided support depending on people’s individual needs and preferences. People were encouraged to maintain interests and routines meaningful to them, which reflected their individual choices and abilities. Care records contained personalised information about people’s backgrounds, preferences and support needs to help staff provide person-centred care.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.
People were supported to maintain relationships with people who were important to them which allowed them control over their lives. Visitors were welcomed into the home. People and their relatives told us they could visit at any time and stay as long as they wished and help themselves to complimentary cakes and drinks from the kitchenettes which were on each floor. This enabled people to maintain meaningful relationships.

People were supported to maintain their independence within a risk assessment framework that allowed them safely to take risks. People were confidently mobilising with the use of walking aids, when needed, while staff walked alongside them in a supportive but non-intrusive manner, allowing people to retain control of their movement while ensuring their safety. This demonstrated an approach that balanced positive risk-taking with promoting independence.

Staff told us they offered people choices of drinks and meals, asked where they would like to spend their time, and informed people of different activities taking place. One staff member said, “We try really hard to encourage people to do as much as they can so they remain independent, it’s so important, I think we do, we always involve family members as well.”
People were encouraged and supported to do as much as they could for themselves, to maintain and develop their independent living skills. People’s care plans reflected this approach, what they were willing and capable of doing for themselves safely, and what they needed staff support with.
Care plans also reflected people's choices and preferences and information of how staff can support people to make informed choices. For example, using written aids or a family member/advocate. Care records reflected people’s communication needs, so staff understood how to provide people with information and how people communicated their choices and preferences.

Adapted cutlery and tableware were provided to help people to eat independently where possible. We observed staff offer choices of drinks, food and snacks throughout the day.

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 were supported by staff who understood their needs and responded when support was required. We observed staff responding to people’s requests for assistance, reassurance and comfort in a respectful and responsive way. Staff knew people well and recognised when people required additional support or encouragement. For example, we observed staff noticing when people required support to move around the home safely.

Call systems and technology were used to support staff to respond promptly, including when people were at risk of falls or required urgent assistance. Relatives told us staff kept them informed when incidents occurred and acted quickly when people needed support. One person told us, “Most times there are enough staff. The bells are normally answered within minutes.”

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

Staff told us they felt supported both professionally and personally and described the service as a positive place to work. Staff feedback confirmed leaders were ‘supportive’, ‘responsive’ and ‘genuinely invested’ in their wellbeing and development.

Staff spoke positively about the support available within the home and described managers and leaders as approachable and supportive. Staff told us communication within the service was effective and they felt able to seek advice, raise concerns and discuss any support needs.

Staff told us they were encouraged to build on their strengths and pursue areas of interest, which increased their confidence, skills and job satisfaction. For example, becoming a dignity champion.

Teamwork was strong across the service. Staff described a culture of mutual respect, collaboration and shared accountability, where everyone worked together to achieve the best outcomes for people. New staff were well supported through structured inductions and buddy systems, ensuring they felt confident and integrated into the team from the outset.

The provider had a wide range of wellbeing initiatives, which included staff and people voting for nurse of the month, receptionist, general manager and care staff of the month which was celebrated within the organisation.

Staff retention was good and the organisation had a minibus that picked up and dropped off staff for their shifts due to the country location. This was welcomed by staff and had improved their general well-being.