Archived: Howgate House

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 70 (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. People and their relatives spoke positively about the support they received from staff, comments included, “They speak to [person] nicely and treat them as a person, talking to them properly” and “Most of them look after me really well. They work hard and do their best. They are friendly.” We observed staff interacting with people in a positive way and could explain how they treated people with dignity.

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 were person centred and included peoples likes, dislikes and preferences. Staff knew people well as individuals and knew their preferences, likes and dislikes. They supported people to understand what was happening throughout the day and be involved if they chose to be.One relative told us “[Person] can wash herself. Staff let them do this.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. A variety of activities were provided which catered for all people’s abilities and interests, and people could choose if they participated. Care records confirmed people and their relatives were involved in the planning of their care. Relatives were supported to visit as much as they wanted, and we observed staff adapting visits in a person-centred way. People were supported to choose what they wore and what to eat.

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 observed in areas where there was high staff presence, staff noticed when people might need support and anticipated their needs. They were then able to promptly support people to feel comfortable. However, at times in areas where there was low staff presence, people were not being responded to in a timely manner. We also observed call bells to be out of reach for some people who needed call bells. One person commented “They don’t answer the buzzers. I don’t always have one to press.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. There were recent changes in the leadership team, the provider ensured support was available for staff and staff had the opportunity to discuss any concerns they had. Policies were in place to ensure the fair treatment of staff members and staff told us they felt valued. One staff member told us, “Things are slowly changing for the better.”