Archived: Meadow Bank Care 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 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.

We observed staff talking to people in a respectful manner during the assessment. People told us staff respected their privacy and dignity at all times; 1 person said, “The staff are kind and caring, and I get on well with them. The staff speak with me respectfully.” A relative said, “I've seen the staff explain what they are doing. They ask [my relative’s] permission when they deliver personal care.” Another relative said, “The staff explain what they are going to do each time I’ve been around, and they work together well.” Staff gave examples of how they respected dignity, such as knocking on people’s doors and ensuring privacy during care tasks.

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 said they thought staff understood them well. A person said, “I feel staff usually communicate well with me and know my preferences.” People’s wider needs and preferences were captured in care plans. When people preferred female care staff, this was organised. Staff had knowledge about people’s cultural needs; for example, staff supported people to practice their faith. A relative told us they were able to have their wedding blessed at the service.

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

People said staff encouraged them to be independent; 1 person said, “They are flexible with me and offer choice. For example, when I wanted to stay up to see the end of ‘Vera’, instead of going to bed at 9.30pm, I went at 11pm.” Another person said, “I can choose what I want to join in with. If I want to go to town, 1 of the lads will take me, or they will pick up shopping for me from town. I'm quite happy here.” However, a relative said their loved one was not supported to go to bed at the time of his choosing. Another relative said, “Staff will always ask [relative] if she wants to do anything herself. They are steadily encouraging her independence.”

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 various occasions during the assessment of staff taking action quicky and effectively for people who required support. If people were experiencing pain, staff responded in a timely manner with appropriate pain relief. People said staff responded to them when they needed it, however said they had to wait longer during the night when staffing levels were reduced. A person said, “The staff are looking after us well. The staff not only support us, but also each other.”

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

The provider established several initiatives to support staff. Staff could attend monthly wellbeing sessions which focused on mental wellbeing. Staff had access to an employee assistance programme which also supported mental health. The management team could make referrals such as to occupational therapy. Staff told us they enjoyed their jobs and felt supported in their roles.