Green Acres

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.

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

Relatives and professionals confirmed staff were helpful and welcoming when they visited. One person’s relative told us, “The staff at Green Acres always make me feel exceptionally welcome.” A professional said, “In all the years I have visited Green Acres I have never had any concerns. All the staff are courteous and helpful when I arrive, they always provide me with the information I need. I have 3 clients at Green Acres and staff know them well. They have always appeared well presented and well cared for, all their needs met.”

Staff encouraged people to make and maintain friendships. For example, the home linked with other services run by the provider locally for social events. Staff told us each of the services hosted an event in the summer, to which residents of the other homes were invited.

Staff treated people as individuals and made sure care and support met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood and met. Staff respected people as individuals and supported them to live in a way which reflected their strengths, aspirations and personal goals.

Staff supported people to maintain contact with their friends and families, including offering transport to family members to enable visits, and trying to re-establish contact with relatives of people who had historically had little contact with their family. One relative said, “May we also applaud facilitating his close contact with the community he grew up in and with his friends and family, including very touching gestures of sending timely cards and presents!”

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

Relatives told us staff encouraged their family members to be as independent as possible, supporting them to develop skills over time. One relative said, “The aim here is to keep building on what [family member] is achieving over the years and helping him to do more.”

Staff told us they encouraged people to do things for themselves where possible and our observations during our visits confirmed this. Some people had adaptations to support their independence. For example, one person used adapted cutlery and a plate guard to enable them to eat unsupported at lunchtime.

Staff supported people to take part in activities they enjoyed and to be part of their local community. For example, people enjoyed activities including swimming, cycling, discos, the cinema, and visiting cafes, restaurants and pubs for coffee or a meal. Staff also organised trips further afield to meet people’s needs. For instance, one person particularly enjoyed visiting the coast. Staff took people’s needs into account when planning activities. For example, some people did not enjoy loud or crowded environments.

Staff 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’s care was planned to ensure there were enough staff available to support them should they become anxious or distressed. For example, some people were supported by 2 staff when outside the home to ensure there was sufficient support available to them. We observed during our visits that staff responded quickly if people became anxious or distressed to provide support and reassurance.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. All the organisation’s staff had access to an external employee assistance programme, which provided support and advice on a range of issues.

The registered manager told us they aimed to ensure staff felt listened to and to enable staff to work flexibly around their personal commitments, such as childcare or the need to attend healthcare appointments. The registered manager said, "I do my best to accommodate their needs."

Staff told us they enjoyed working at the home and that they felt valued for the work they did. They felt they were treated fairly and their individual rights respected.