The Oast

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.

We observed that staff regularly interacted with people and noticed when they appeared anxious or required support. They clearly knew people well and had time to listen and talk with them. The engagement we saw was caring and warm and provided comfort to people. A person told us, “I am very happy with everyone here they treat us like family and food is wonderful we like to sit at the dining room table and have lunch together when I visit”.

Staff told us about when a person had become confused and had become upset, staff had responded in a non-judgemental way and invited them to come for a cup of tea with them to reduce their anxiety. Staff were able to clearly explain how they would provide personal care in a dignified, respectful and person-centred manner. This was also observed in practice when a person required urgent personal care support in the lounge area. Staff responded promptly, screening off the area to protect the person's privacy and dignity. They spoke gently and reassuringly throughout, ensuring the person received the appropriate support in a kind, compassionate and respectful way.
 

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.

Care plans documented how people liked to be treated, however, life history was sparse and not kept in peoples care plans in a different location. This was quickly rectified when raised with the registered manager. Care plans were not always person centred and risk assessments did not always provide person centred guidance, however staff knew people well and we saw person centred care provided. The registered manager after our feedback had started to review care plans to ensure they are person centred.

People were supported with activities that were led by an activities co-ordinator on weekdays and included things like floor games and bingo. On the day of the inspection, we saw a musical entertainer which people seemed to enjoy.

One person when asked said, “Yes there are often activities, and last week staff took us out to a garden centre. Staff helped me pick a lovely pair of shoes. There aren’t always people coming in - but sometimes they do and they are very good”. People who wished to were able to have their spiritual needs supported through attendance of a local chaplain.
 

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People’s choices were actively sought and were supported.

We saw people were supported in the ways they wanted to be in ways that were safe, considerate to other people who lived there. Safety had been reviewed and risk assessed. People’s opinions were obtained through surveys and feedback, and people told us “Yes I can spend the day doing what I want my family and friends visit often and take me out.”
Staff told us that people were supported to do things how they wanted to do them i.e. one person preferred to eat their meal with their fingers, so their meals were adapted so it was finger food.
We saw minutes of meetings held with people where a quiet room had been requested, we saw a notice on the wall stating, “you said we did” and the resulting adaptation of the conservatory we which contained comfortable chairs, a bookcase and items that people could engage with.
People were supported to engage with friends and family, and we saw people using the service phone to do so. The registered manager told us they could support people with electronic devices to have face to face contact online.
 

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 saw where staff supported to a person with an urgent personal care matter in a dignified and private way.
People told us that staff were there when they needed to be supported and call bells were audited, tested regularly and were promptly responded to.

Staff were able to describe how they had supported people in a person centred and compassionate way. For example, one person living with dementia became confused and distressed when a staff member walked through the corridor. Staff responded in a calm and reassuring manner and demonstrated a good understanding of the person’s needs, recognising they believed they were a stranger in their home. The staff member gently redirected the person by inviting them for a cup of tea, which helped to reduce their distress and provided reassurance.
 

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

The registered manager told us how proud she was of her team who understood her high expectations and how she supported them. Staff were positive about working at the service and about the registered manager. Several staff gave examples of how they had been supported with shift changes or flexible working when they had needed it. All staff we spoke to said that morale at the service was good and they were very happy working there. Staff were trained to support people and if necessary, would receive specific training for a health condition. Staff received regular appraisals and spot checks made by managers to ensure care was being provided correctly. All staff were encouraged to attend staff meetings and held at times so night and day shift were able to attend.