Cedarwood Lodge (Active Prospects)

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.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with professionalism and respect.

Relatives and professionals said there was a friendly, homely atmosphere at the service in which people felt comfortable and content. A relative told us, “The residents seem quite happy and content. The whole atmosphere is very happy.” A professional said, “Everyone is happy and comfortable. It is a very nice environment to walk into.”

Professionals told us staff supported people in a friendly yet respectful way. One professional said of staff, "They treat the residents with respect but not in a cold way. They are friends as well as carers, and I think that makes the residents comfortable. I think it is great the residents feel that friendship and camaraderie with the staff."

Relatives confirmed staff treated their family members with respect and said their family members had developed positive relationships with the staff who supported them. One relative told us, “The way they look after the residents is so good, they are so respectful.” Another relative said, "All the staff are very nice; [family member] gets on well with all of them. He is happy there."

Professionals described staff as caring and commented on the empathy shown by staff in the way they supported people. One professional said of staff, "They are very caring and compassionate. There is a lot of empathy and connection, and they give people the time they need to complete daily tasks.”

Staff explained how they maintained people’s privacy and dignity when providing their care. A member of staff told us, "We close the door, and make sure they are covered. You always knock before you enter and say hello."

Staff respected people as individuals and supported them to live in a way which reflected their strengths, aspirations and interests. Professionals said staff provided people’s care and support in a way which met their needs and preferences. One professional told us, “Everyone is an individual to them and that is how they provide the service, on an individual level.” Another professional said, “People are supported to be the individuals they are.”

Staff supported and encouraged people to maintain contact with their friends and families. For example, people attended events organised by other services run by the provider and had hosted a barbecue in the summer. Relatives told us they were encouraged to be involved in their family members’ lives and in the life of the home.

Staff promoted people’s independence, so people had choice and control over their own care and wellbeing. Staff explained how they promoted choice and independence on a day-to-day basis. A member of staff told us, "We encourage [person] to make his own tea. In the morning, we open his cupboard and say what would you like to wear, and he dresses himself. Our job is to enable, not disable." A professional said, “It seems they have the right balance of support whilst enabling people.”

Staff supported people to take part in activities they enjoyed and to be part of their local community. Relatives told us their family members enjoyed going out and said staff supported them to do this. One relative told us, “They do what they can to stimulate the residents and make their lives varied.”

Relatives said people also enjoyed the activities providers who visited the home regularly. A relative told us, "The people who come in and entertain them are great. Us in a Bus engage with the residents so well. The music man is great, and [family member] loves the aromatherapist."

Staff 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.

A relative told us staff understood people’s individual means of communicating distress and responded promptly if this occurred. The relative said of staff, "They are in tune with distress signals; they are on it straight away."

Professionals confirmed staff were alert to people’s immediate needs. One professional told us, “The staff have always been very observant of the residents' needs when I go there, they are always very attentive.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they enjoyed working at the home and that they felt valued for the work they did. They felt they were treated fairly and their individual rights respected.

The manager told us the provider held regular wellbeing meetings and that

each of the provider’s services was encouraged to send a representative. The manager said some staff in the organisation had been trained as mental health first aiders, “To recognise symptoms and signpost to support.” Staff also had access to an external employee assistance programme, which provided confidential support and advice on a range of issues.