Dimensions Somerset Northmead House

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.At our last inspection 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 service was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and consistently respected their privacy and dignity. Staff demonstrated a person-centred approach and built strong, trusting relationships with people. We observed staff interacting warmly and sensitively, ensuring people felt valued and comfortable.

We received unanimous positive comments from people’s relatives. One relative told us how staff go “Over and above”. They told us their family member was in hospital and a lot of the staff had gone in to see them on their days off, they told us staff were, “So caring.”

Other comments from relatives included, “It’s outstanding. We’re very pleased. They always go over and above. All very positive from us”, “They are all kind and caring, they are amazing” and “They are absolutely kind and caring.”

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.

People were able to make choices about their everyday lives during their stay and staff respected people’s different lifestyle choices. Care plans had been personalised to ensure staff had the information they needed to provide care and support.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Care plans identified what people could do for themselves and the support they needed from staff. We observed staff promoting people’s independence and choices being offered during our assessment.

Relatives confirmed people’s choices were respected. One relative told us, “They deal with a lot of complex needs so there are lots of different choices.” Another relative told us, “They respect [name of relatives] choices.”

The service was exceptional in how they 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 registered manager gave an example of 2 staff being nominated for and winning an ‘Inspiring colleague’ award. The staff had responded in an emergency situation which they were told had saved the person’s life. The family had expressed their gratitude to the staff for their bravery and quick intervention.

Staff knew people very well and responded promptly to their requests for support. People’s care plans included information relating to what could cause them to become anxious and upset.

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

Systems and processes were in place to support workforce wellbeing, including regular supervision and staff surveys. Staff told us they felt supported and valued. One staff member said, “They have counselling lines and other things, there’s lots of support available if needed.”