St Martins Residential Home

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 requires improvement. At this assessment, the rating has changed to good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.
 

This service scored 70 (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.

We observed positive interactions between staff and people, staff were kind and respectful to the people using the service. People appeared comfortable with the staff and the registered manager. The people we spoke to were happy with the support they received. Comments included, “Mostly staff are very pleasant and approachable. No one is unkind to me” and another person told us, “I am never left feeling uncomfortable, staff are kind, I’ve got no concerns.” Relatives also shared positive feedback, comments included, “Staff are so attentive and kind, we are very impressed” and “I would recommend them, they are very caring, they have good communication and are welcoming.”
 

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. A relative told us, “It is absolutely brilliant, they have done more for [person’s name] than her last care home, the care is amazing.”

People’s protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, such as age, disability, religion, and race, were recorded. Staff were aware of these individual characteristics, knew people well and could explain their needs. The care plan included a dedicated section for people to share their life experiences and histories, helping staff to develop a better understanding of each person.

People were supported to practise their faith. Staff told us that people could attend church on Sundays, and a priest visited weekly to provide religious services. The service celebrated religious holidays that were important to people, as well as their birthdays. A relative said, “It was [relative’s name] birthday a couple of weeks ago and we had the right-hand lounge for 2 hours, we brought in drinks fruits, they [the service] provided tea and coffee, 15 people came, it was lovely.”
 

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights. Most people said they felt in control of their care, including comments such as, “I would recommend it here. Staff tend to leave me to my own devices, and no one tells me when to get up. I choose my own clothes, and I’ve never been told to go anywhere. I can go to the park with family or friends, and I went to see the poppies on the pier” and “you have definitely got choice, all the staff respect me, all staff are very nice.” However, one person told us that although they were happy overall with the support they received, they would like to access the shower daily and they were only able to have one every other day. They told us they had previously raised this in a meeting, but this support still was not being offered. We asked senior staff about this, and they confirmed this person was only being offered support to shower every other day. This did not meet the persons individual preference or give the person control of this aspect of their life. We raised this with the registered manager who reassured us they would investigate this.

During our visit people were offered choices around their food and drink. Comments from people included, “Staff come every day to find out what your food preferences are, and they always have an alternative.”

An activities coordinator was present during our visit and engaged well with people, encouraging participation while respecting individual choice. When the activities coordinator was not present, people and staff were at times observed sitting together in the lounges without meaningful interaction. At times, staff were present but did not interact, resulting in periods of silence. An external health professional that visited the service said, “Interactions between the staff and residents could be better than staff sitting and watching tv.”

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. St Martins Residential care home had a call bell system in place, and we observed staff responding to these in a timely manner. When people needed or requested support, staff responded quickly. People told us they were happy with how staff responded to their needs, comments included, “I’ve got a buzzer box in my room and I use it at night time, staff come quickly or near enough straight away” and “It is a very good home, staff look after the patients well. I don’t see any problems, people buzz and the staff are there.”

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 felt valued and felt that they could contribute to decision making in the service. Leaders listened to staff, responded to their concerns, and provided support to keep them safe and well, including when they were facing difficulties at work. One member of staff told us, “They [Management] see how we are feeling and what can be improved. They ask what support we need. We get the chance to express what we think. We also do staff meetings, during the meeting they first discuss things we must know, then we get asked how we are doing and if we have any ideas or any questions. Even if it’s not in a meeting, if we want to share something, we can go to the manager.” Staff had access to an employee assistance programme and a discount scheme to help with essential healthcare costs.