Rowan Lodge

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. Overall people were positive about the way staff supported them. They told us, “The staff are wonderful” and “Very, very kind and very caring with old people.” People’s relatives referred to staff as “Kind, welcoming, friendly, pleasant, respectful, and approachable.” We observed staff treating people in a caring manner. For example, we saw the chef in the lounge speaking to people by name and complimenting people who had been to the hairdresser. People’s care plans took account of their emotional well-being. We saw one person concerned about paying for their drink and the staff member responded, "That’s OK, it's all paid for." The registered manager said, “During the day I can see how people are cared for. I listen and watch when I go round. People come here and we do everything we can to help them. If we can go home and know we're doing the best we possibly can then we can't ask for much more.”

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. Most people had either seen their care plan or had asked their relative to take part in care plan reviews. People told us plans were reviewed in line with their needs. One person said, “My family have seen my plan. The staff used to check on me every hour at night and that disturbed me, so we had a review, and I asked if I had to be disturbed all the time. They changed the plan, so I now get about 6 hours undisturbed sleep which is good.” People’s rooms had memory boxes outside with items and photographs that were important to people. People were able to personalise their bedrooms if they wished. The service celebrated people’s birthdays: there was a screen at the home’s entrance with information on when birthdays were that month. The chef told us they made birthday cakes for people. Most people told us their cultural needs were met; however, some people commented that although there used to be regular church services these had stopped. The registered manager fed back to us that they were in discussions with the local church to restart these, but in the meantime, staff were able to support people to attend the local church if required.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Staff supported people’s independence and respected their choices. One person said, “I like to do things for myself. I put my creams on myself, but I can’t reach my back, so the staff do it for me.” Another person said, “To ask for help is the hardest thing as I’ve always been so independent. But I have to now.” People’s relatives told us that staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and to continue to do tasks for themselves when they could. They told us staff provided support as needed.

Care plans included people’s preferences and wishes around their daily lifestyles. There were various areas within the home people could use, including a bistro with access to coffee, cake and biscuits. There was snack station on another floor that people could help themselves to. There was a varied activities programme in place with a team of full-time activities staff. Activities included gardening club, music club, dancing, tai chi, yoga, animal visits and entertainers. Some people chose not to take part and staff respected that whilst ensuring people were not socially isolated. For example, the activities team visited people in their bedrooms if they preferred. One person’s relative said, “[Name] is very independent, and is in the music club, and staff encourage [name] to do anything new. The home asked [name] for their opinion about a new candidate for the activities team and [name] was delighted with this.” We observed meaningful activities on both days of our visit.

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. Overall, we saw staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Staff were able to demonstrate how they would respond to people in emotional distress, including distraction techniques that were in line with care plan guidance. They responded to call bells promptly. There were good links with health professionals who told us “We feel that Rowan Lodge is very responsive about any patient concerns.” People’s relatives told us staff kept in touch with them if their loved one became unwell or needed medical attention.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. There was a staff welfare programme in place, an employee of the month scheme and long service awards. Staff were positive and felt supported to carry out their roles. One staff member said the provider was “Refreshing to work for.” They told us, “There is no red tape. I can ask for something, and it happens. That's a big change for me. I came from [other provider] so it was a big transition. Things happening fast is good for the residents and good for the team.”