Willow Lodge Nursing Home

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 as good. At this assessment, the rating has remained as 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. A relative told us, “I would say they are kind and caring. And they have a very nice way with [family member]…I think they care for all the residents.” A friend of a person using the service said, “The staff are kind and friendly.” A healthcare professional told us, “The staff genuinely care about the people they support and always aim to make sure their individual needs are met.”

The home was warm and welcoming. Friends and family told us they were able to visit at any time and were made to feel welcome by staff, who routinely offered them tea, biscuits and cakes. During one of our visits, one of the people was celebrating their birthday. Staff had put up birthday banners and made sure the person could spend time with their friends, who had arrived to celebrate with them.

Staff were kind, respectful and caring towards people. They were attentive and responsive to people’s needs and wishes, taking time to listen, offer reassurance and encourage people to express themselves. Staff provided care and support discreetly while maintaining people’s dignity. When people wanted to spend time away from others in the privacy of their bedrooms, staff respected their right to do so. People appeared comfortable and at ease with staff, and interactions were kind, respectful and positive.

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’s choices and preferences were used to plan their care and support so their individual needs could be met. Their family and friends were encouraged to share their experiences about them to help staff build a comprehensive understanding of each person and the things that were important to them.

Staff understood how to support people as individuals and provided care based on their needs and wishes. A staff member told us, “As we get to know people we learn more about them and we adapt to this and we learn how to provide care they want.”

Senior staff regularly reviewed people’s care plans to make sure they reflected their current needs and preferences.

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

People had choice and control over how their care and support was provided. People’s daily routines and activities were based on their personal choices, preferences, and needs. A person told us about their preferred daily routine. They said, “I come down here in the morning and read my paper. That’s all I need. As long as I get my paper, I’m alright. I get my paper 5 days a week.” A healthcare professional said about the service, “A rare example of a nursing home that actively supports residents to access their local community, including opportunities for personal shopping and eating out with support where appropriate.”

Staff offered people choices and supported them to do as much as they could and wanted to, with activities of daily living. A staff member told us, “Some of our people might not have capacity but I still respect people to give them choices, so, for example, I will show clothes to people so they can pick what they would like to wear today.”

Senior staff regularly reviewed people’s care plans to make sure these remained up to date and current about their choices for their care and support needs.

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.

Staff knew people well and understood their individual needs, including recognising signs or triggers that might cause them to feel anxious or distressed. They responded promptly and appropriately, taking action to reduce discomfort and distress and minimise the risk of incidents occurring. A staff member told us, “We need to be kind and patient…This is because people can become agitated and restless, but I want to try and make them calm and help them communicate what it is that they need. For people who don’t (verbally) communicate, we listen and observe and this gives us information about what they need or if they are in distress. I know some people can be aggressive, but being patient and calm helps people to communicate.”

When people required support, including those who chose to spend time in their own rooms, staff responded promptly. Call bells were answered without delay, so people did not have to wait long for assistance. A healthcare professional told us, “Support staff are highly visible throughout the service, attentive to residents' needs, and provide reassurance through their presence and engagement.”

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

Staff were well supported in their roles. They received regular training and supervision to support them in their day to day work. They told us the registered manager was approachable, supportive and listened to any concerns they had about their work. A staff member told us, “[Registered manager] is very helpful and supportive. She has a lot of knowledge and experience, and she shares this with us to help us learn. I like this about her. She is a teacher.” Another staff member said, “The manager is very good. Very supportive and we can talk to her and she helps us. She is always telling us how we can improve. She will listen to everyone and is very understanding.”