Aspens Cornford Lane

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.

People, relatives and external professionals said that staff were kind and caring. We observed staff supporting people with patience and understanding whilst enabling them to make choices. People were supported to stay in touch with family members and people who were important to them.

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 described people in a positive way, focusing on their strengths and individual characteristics. One staff member told us, “It is amazing to work here. You get to know people so well and every day is something new and different. As long as people are happy then I’m happy.” People told us staff knew them well. Comments included, “The staff are quite jolly. I think they know me pretty well. Sometimes they are busy, preparing meals, taking people out, but they do chat if they have time” and “The staff talk to me, they know what I like to do”.

Relatives said staff were caring. One relative described how when they could not visit their loved one, staff brought them to visit so regular contact could be maintained. Another relative explained that when they were unable to visit for a period of time, staff ensured person visited the provider’s other houses so they continued to meet different people.

We observed staff interacting with people with patience and kindness. Some people became agitated and raised their voices to members of staff. Staff remained calm and communicated clearly to the person in a way they could understand. When people became distressed, staff gave them the reassurances they needed.

Bedroom doors were closed when people were being supported with their personal care needs. Staff knocked on doors before entering to ensure people consented to them entering their room.

Health care professionals gave positive feedback about the caring nature of the staff team. Comments included, “The staff supporting the individuals are always caring”; and “I believe the staff truly care and want to provide the best that they can.”

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

Staff promoted people’s independence, so people had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People told us staff supported them to be independent. One person explained how they loaded the dishwasher, laid the dinner table and poured drinks for everyone. One person told us, “I like to go to the garden centre. I can walk there on my own.”

People said they made choices such as when to get up, what clothes to wear and what to eat. Staff were able to describe what things people could do for themselves and when they needed support. When describing people’s daily routines, staff explained each person’s level of support. This included when the person required verbal prompts, physical assistance and time so the person could complete the task by themselves. One person said, “My bedroom has recently been painted. I chose blue for the walls. I have got new furniture.”

Staff described how they used active support to ensure people had control over their day to day lives. Active Support isa person-centered approach that helps individuals with learning disabilities be more involved in their daily lives, develop new skills, and build relationships. People were supported with making their lunch and other household tasks. This could include the whole task or part of the task depending on people’s abilities. People had been involved in choosing the colour paint for their bedrooms. One person had put their jumper on back to front. Staff asked the person to check if their jumper was on the right way. The person did this and then took their jumper off and turned it around the right way.

Staff facilitated people having visitors to their home, and ensured people could contact their friends and family when they wished. One person told us how they had a video call with their sister every week and how important this was to them. People were involved in celebrating special occasions. One person was excited about the preparations being made for their birthday.

We did not look at Responding to people’s immediate needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Workforce wellbeing and enablement during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.