The Cumberland

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 the same 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.

People were treated with kindness and compassion by staff who knew them well. Relatives spoke highly of the staff with 1 relative saying, “Excellent, I can’t praise them enough.” We saw staff were very friendly and were very respectful of each other and the people they were supporting. Staff were observed responding kindly, gently and with people, in a timely and respectful manner.

The general feel of the environment was calm and relaxed, staff were observed engaging with people respectfully and there was chatter and music in the background. There was visible staff presence in all communal areas and staff were observed routinely visiting people who stayed in their rooms.

Staff had been trained and understood the importance of supporting people to maintain their dignity, privacy and respect. A member of staff said, “I keep the parts of their body I am not washing covered and I always close the door and curtains. I also ask for their permission before I support them and explain what I am doing so they are reassured and feel involved.”

People were treated as unique individuals. Relatives told us staff knew their loved ones likes and dislikes. Comments included, “The staff knew [person] before he became unable to communicate so knew how he liked to have things done and what his likes and wishes were from that time” and “Very much so switched on to what he likes and what he needs, he gets up most days and goes into the lounge so he can be around others.”

We saw people’s bedrooms were personalised to each individuals taste with their personal items around them. People were observed making their way freely around the service with background support or monitoring by a staff member. People were observed going to the registered manager’s office to say hello and raise any queries or questions they had.

Activities were planned and based around people’s likes and interests as well as meeting their cultural and religious needs. There was a wellbeing and activities poster in colour including pictures showing activities for the morning and afternoon throughout the week. This included therapy room visits, sensory balloons, pamper sessions, arts and crafts, singing and dancing, weekly worship with a variety of cultures and denominations.

People's care records contained information about the person on an ‘About Me Page’ which included the individual's life history, backgrounds, likes, previous occupation, routines and preferences. Staff said, “People’s preferences are recorded in their care plans, and we have got to know the residents here very well. For example, [person] likes to wear blue, and [person] will always wear orange over any other colour” and “I always check with [person] if she wants to wear makeup, because sometimes she may not want to wear it. She tells me how she likes it done and chooses her lipstick.”

People were supported to have as much independence, choice and control over their lives as possible. Relatives confirmed people were encouraged by staff to be as independent as possible. A relative said, “They would encourage him all the time to do as much as he could for himself, but his needs have changed so can’t do a lot for himself anymore.”

People’s independence was encouraged with the use of aids such as adapted cutlery which enabled the person to eat their meal independently. Staff told us they encouraged people to be involved in their care by offering people choices and communicating with people by giving them time to answer short questions, pointing to objects such as, the flannel and by giving people time to do what they can for themselves. A staff member told us, “I will encourage [person] to raise their arm for me because I know they can do this, and it keeps them involved in their personal care.”

People’s care plans included information about what the person could do for themselves or how they were involved in certain tasks. For example, a member of staff said, “Some people can brush their own teeth, and we just ask permission to put the toothpaste on their brush.” Throughout the assessment we observed relatives and loved ones coming and going. There were no restrictions on visiting times and people were able to see who they wanted and when.

Staff knew people well and were able to anticipate and respond to their needs. Staff responded promptly if people pressed their call bell for support. Relatives felt staff knew their loved one well and felt their loved one was happy and safe. A relative said, “It feels safe and is the best decision we have made for [loved one] to live here. [Person] has already said that this is where she wants to come”.

Information about how people communicated had been recorded within their care plan. Staff gave examples of how they communicated with people such as, speaking slowly, using short simple sentences, maintaining eye contact and being aware of non-verbal communication such as the person’s body language. Staff gave examples of the non-verbal cues they would look for. A person’s care records detailed that at times of anxiety staff could sing or hum which provided the person with comfort and familiarity.

Staff felt valued in their role and had their well-being respected and increased. The registered manager told us they had an open-door policy where staff could speak with them at any time, and they ensured they were sensitive to their needs. The registered manager gave an example of how they had observed 1 member of staff not acting their usual self and therefore they spent time with them speaking in their office to find out what the problem was and how they could help.

There was a diverse workforce where staff were treated as individuals. A member of staff said, “There is diversity and inclusion in the team. We respect each other and everyone is treated fairly. I'm treated fairly. They supported me when I moved to the area. I have settled well now.” Staff were supported through supervision meetings, annual appraisals and training. The registered manager told us they had altered a member of staff’s break times and changed their shift times during a religious festival they observed.