Goodson Lodge Care Centre

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 85 (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.

We observed staff across different roles, including housekeeping, activities teams and leaders, demonstrating kindness, compassion and dignity in their interactions with people. Staff worked together to support improvement and enhance the experience of those living at the service. For example, during a visit from a local museum, activities staff and care staff worked together to ensure all individuals wishing to participate were included and had the space and support they needed. Staff communicated with warmth and a clear understanding of each person’s needs and choices in preparation for the planned activity.

People said staff treated them with kindness, compassion and dignity. One person said, “Staff are quite good and very co-operative.” We saw several people being supported in a compassionate way by staff during the inspection, including 2 people who had become confused and disorientated.

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.

Details of people’s individual needs were reflected in their care plans. Plans included people’s preferences, for example their daily routine, food and drink preferences, and interest in social activities. There was a life history recorded for people which helped staff understand people’s needs.

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

There was a team of activity staff who organised a varied programme of activities and events to meet people’s interests and needs. Comments from relatives about activities were consistently positive. The activities programme was described as “stimulating” and “rich and varied”.

Staff had taken time to get to know people well so they could make sure interests were known and the appropriate support and care provided. Staff shared examples of how this work had enabled them to support people to reconnect to past interests, work and lifestyle. For example, 1 person was reconnected to children they had helped evacuate in the war. Staff worked with the person’s family to organise for their story to be told on a television programme. One relative told us, “The care and attention they [staff] have given [person] has been amazing.”

The ethos of the service was to promote and maintain people’s independence as much as possible. Leaders shared examples of how they supported people to stay independent. For 1 person staff had placed a small animal by the person’s room door. This helped the person orientate themselves to their room independently. Staff told us they supported people to do as much as they can for themselves and to make everyday decisions. One staff member said, “if a person is able to wash their face, I give them a flannel, I try not to take away opportunities for people to do things by themselves before I support them.” Staff also told us people were given choices throughout the day, including, what they would like to wear and which activities they want to take part in.

Staff shared an example of how they got to know a person through their life history work. They found out the person loved gardening. Leaders organised for the person to have their own shed in a small area of the garden. The shed was their own space to store their own tools and sit and enjoy the garden. This enabled the person to continue with their interest and maintain independence. Staff said measures were in place to ensure their safety, for example checking the paths were clear and ensuring the maintenance team are available when the person was in the garden.

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.

The management team regularly checked care records such as call bell response times to ensure staff responded in a timely way. Any incidents in which calls were not responded to within 5 minutes were investigated. We observed staff responding promptly to the call bells and requests for assistance. For example, we observed a person was unable to locate a piece of clothing, so the staff member stopped what they were doing to help them. They looked through the person’s drawers and cupboard and explained to the person they would go and check the laundry room, where the item was found.

The service supported many people living with dementia. If people experienced distress staff sought help and guidance from the specialist dementia team and their own specialist dementia nurse. Advice from professionals helped staff find safe approaches to support people with any anxieties.

Some people did give us some feedback about how long they had to wait when using call bells. We shared this feedback with the registered manager.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Management at the service were mental health first aiders which meant they were able to signpost staff to various support systems if needed. The provider also had an employee assistance service which provided staff with free, confidential advice and support. Staff had access to free counselling and financial advice. There was a Human Resources (HR) adviser, external to the service, who staff could access about concerns or for advice. This helped staff talk freely and in confidence. One staff member said, “Staff feedback is actively encouraged, listened to and actioned where appropriate.”

The service had a staff wellbeing room where they could relax and take time to think. There were various posters and a wellbeing board for staff providing them with information and guidance on what they could do to care for themselves and others. For example, leaders provided staff with information on the charity for care workers and local food banks. This helped staff to access different types of support. Staff were provided free meals in the service when they were working. The registered manager said they recognised a hot meal whilst on shift was important for some staff.

The registered manager told us they had provided staff with workshops on areas such as stress and menopause. The provider also had lighter fabric uniforms to help mitigate symptoms of the menopause.

Staff were supported with reasonable adjustments, and these were balanced with people’s care and support needs. Leaders supported staff to complete qualifications, for example by sitting with them and explaining topics or taking time to read information to support staff understanding. One staff member said, “I have had the best years of my life working in this care home. I feel very supported by management.”

The registered manager said they also did ‘positive’ supervisions with staff to share praise and celebrate achievements. They said it was just as important to talk about positive work staff did as well as addressing any areas for development.