Archived: Victoria House 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 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.

People had good relationships with staff. Our observations confirmed people were treated in a kind and caring way, were happy and comfortable in their environment and with staff. Staff maintained people’s privacy and dignity throughout our site visit.

People and relatives spoke positively about the staff team and support they received. A person said, “You wouldn’t find better staff anywhere. Nothing is too much trouble. [Staff] make a point of closing the door when helping me.”

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.

During our visit we observed staff were alert to people’s needs and offered support that reflected their individual choices. For example, people were encouraged to do as much as they could for themselves, with staff knowing effective ways to support this. People were encouraged to join in activities and to join others for lunch in the dining room. People's decisions if they chose not to join in were respected. Electronic care plans were kept updated with information relevant to people’s individualities 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 were supported to make their own choices where possible. A relative told us, “[Person] makes their own choices and sometimes [person] wants to stay in bed.”

We observed people who lacked capacity were offered a choice at lunch time. Staff showed people plates of food to enable them to make a visual choice of their meal.

Another person was supported and encouraged by staff to maintain their independence in relation to walking. A person told us, “The staff are ever so patient. I am slow at walking but with encouragement I get there in the end.”

During our visit we saw staff were very alert to people’s needs and offered support that reflected their individual choices. For example, people were encouraged to do as much as they could for themselves, with staff knowing effective ways to support this.

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.

People were supported in a safe and timely way. Staff worked calmly, they responded to people promptly, including if they became distressed. People told us staff were available if they needed them, and they did not have to wait long if they called a staff member for assistance.

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

Staff were clear about their responsibilities and worked together as a team to meet peoples planned needs as well as responding to requests or changes in people’s health or wellbeing.

Staff told us they were supported by the registered manager and the provider and could approach them with any concerns. They told us they enjoyed their roles, and felt the staff team worked together well.

A comprehensive induction and training programme was in place and staff received regular supervision. A staff member told us, “Management at Victoria Care Home are approachable and visible on the floor. Staff can raise concerns informally and supervision provides space to discuss challenges and development needs.”