Archived: Victoria Mews

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

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 and relatives gave positive feedback about the service. Comments included, “I’m more than happy here. It’s the people and how they treat you.” “The nurses are brilliant; I’d recommend this home to everybody.” “They treat her very well.” Staff made sure people’s dignity was respected. One staff member told us, “I will make sure the curtains are shut. I tell them what I am doing asking them if it’s ok and get their permission.”

We observed staff taking time to chat to people and offer reassurance and responded to people’s individual needs and preferences. This helped promote people’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

Professionals told us staff worked well with them and treated them respectfully as well as the people they supported.

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.

The provider recognised people’s personal preferences and tailored care to their needs which helped to promote independence and choice. Staff knew people well and care plans reflected information regarding people’s backgrounds and personal histories. Remembrance books were completed with family members. This information helped staff to organise people’s previous hobbies and interests. For example, staff supported one person who hadn’t been to a football match for over 2 years. Staff used positive language both in practice and when recording the event. The registered manager told us they had worked to improve recording in the home.

One visiting professional told us, “They do treat people as individuals, they know everything, they know patients. They will advise what suits one may not suit another. Residents integrate and sit in the lounge, others may not.”

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 encouraged to make decisions about their care and were supported to access the local community. One person told us, “I have had a shower on my own”. Another person said, “I could stay in bed if I wanted to, I go to bed at night depending on what’s on the telly.” The provider demonstrated people’s right to privacy and personal life was always respected. People were supported to maintain and develop close and intimate relationships with those close to them. Systems were in place to ensure this was managed in a safe and dignified way.

People had access to equipment which helped maintain their independence. One relative told us, “They have these laser beams in her room which mitigates risk. There’s also a bell around her neck and one on the bed.” This equipment alerts staff to any falls to ensure person receives timely support. Relatives had free access and were able to visit their loved ones whenever they wished.

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 told us staff were attentive and helpful. One person told us, “When I ring my bell for a drink or something they come in no time at all. The night staff are good as well.” We observed staff were patient and reassuring when people were distressed. Staff were able to recognise different ways individuals communicated including verbal and non-verbal. The staff escalated concerns in people’s health conditions to prevent further deterioration.

Staff were observed supporting people promptly during mealtimes and encouraged people to take part in activities. One relative told us, “The staff are always calm and don’t rush.” We observed staff working with people and supporting them when they became distressed, helping people to experience positive outcomes.

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

Staff worked well together to support people. During our visit, we observed positive teamwork with staff discussing tasks that needed to be completed. One relative told us, “They communicate very well to each other.” Daily notes and handovers were completed effectively, which helped to ensure important information was shared between staff teams. Staff told us, “There is a strong culture of everyone being responsible for delivering good quality care. If the registered manager ever feels there are any issues, he will move his office to be more visible.” For example, they would work in the dining room or lounge to monitor staff activity and engagement with people.

Regular team meetings took place where staff were encouraged to feedback. Staff told us the management team were very supportive. Staff had access to an independent employee assistance programme which provided access to counselling services and access to consumer, financial and legal advice.