Sovereign 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 provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last inspection we rated this key question Good. At this inspection 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 65 (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 treated people with kindness and compassion and usually respected their privacy and dignity when delivering care. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People were very positive about the staff and the support they received, however, one person told us, “They never ask my consent, they knock and come in,” as opposed to knocking and waiting for their response. They also told us if they left their room they were told to “Go back”. We saw a member of care staff enter a room without asking permission stating, “I’ll just take your bowl.”

Positive comments received included, “They treat me very well, I don’t have any problems with them at all. They are all cheerful people it’s a very friendly place.” A visitor told us, “We are more than happy with this home they do loads for them, they have taken [name] out for a meal a few times.” People appeared relaxed in the company of staff, some people were observed to enjoy a laugh and joke with some staff members.

People confirmed their privacy and dignity was respected when they were supported with personal care.

Staff spoke with care and compassion about the people they supported and demonstrated a shared commitment to providing good care. Staff comments included “We try our best, we try to provide everything they like” and “We offer choices, activities, person-centred care based on their needs not our needs.”

We saw staff greet people warmly by their first name and speaking quietly to them. Staff were available to meet people’s needs in a timely way.

The provider did not always make sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They aimed to take account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People spoke positively of the care they received with some exceptions. One person told us,

“I think there’s enough staff but sometimes when I try and talk to them, they just walk away.” Other comments included, “They (staff) never have time to talk,” and “The care is good, but they do fall down on the activities. Because they are on the nursing floor, they are not included. They feel isolated,”

In contrast, other people told us they were able to do activities of interest to them. One person said, “My care here is lovely.” Another said, “We do lots of activities. I go into the garden and look after the fish, and I do jigsaws. They were going to take us to a fishing pond. We go out to dinner once a month.

Staff understood people’s needs and aimed to support people how they wished. One staff member told us, “I do think we provide a good service, it’s about getting to know the person so you can understand their needs”.

People’s care plan records care records captured people’s preferences and needs. For example, one care record showed a person liked to spend time alone listening to music or taking calls on their iPad from their family. Care plans also included information about how they wished to be supported people’s protected characteristics such as religious beliefs and disability were reflected in care records.

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

People recognised they were not always able to be an independent as they would wish due to their health conditions. They appreciated the time staff gave them to enable them to do things for themselves. A relative told us, “[Name] is able to dress themselves, they are very independent.” People told us, “I make my own decisions about most things here, another said,

“I’m more than happy being here, I like the staff. It suits me there’s everything I want. I can do everything I want within reason.”

Staff gave examples of how they would promote independence. Comments included, “Encourage the person to do what they want, what they can do for themselves, there is no rush, it’s important to take the time for them to do it.” And “It important to encourage people to do as much as they can for themselves. [Person] likes to wash and dry themselves, we get everything ready for them, just as they like it.”

The registered manager told us, “We do one-to-one’s when they (people) come in. We do ‘All about me’ (a document detailing information about the person’s history, likes and dislikes), so we can learn about them. Residents guide staff on what they want to do.”

We saw staff offering people choices, such as drinks, meals, and asking if they wanted to go out into the garden. One person said they were too hot, so a staff member supported them into the garden using a wheelchair while asking about their health and if they wanted to feed the birds.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff aimed to respond to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

People felt staff were usually responsive to their needs. One person told us, “I used my call bell last night and they came quickly. Sometimes you can wait 10 minutes. Another said, “The way they treat me here is very good indeed. The staff are very on the ball all the time.”

Staff told us they aimed to respond to people’s needs in a timely manner to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. We saw call bells were responded to quickly on the day of our visit. However, where one person was unable to use a call bell they were calling out for staff but were not heard. This resulted in them banging their overbed table which still did not result in a staff member hearing them. We alerted staff to this so they could attend to this person’s needs.

The registered manager told us that all people were subject to regular checks to reduce the risk of people’s needs not being met.

The service worked closely with a range of health and social care professionals to ensure people’s needs were closely monitored to maintain their health and wellbeing.

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

Staff enjoyed working at the home and told us they had a good team. Staff also spoke highly of the support the registered manager provided. Comments included, “We support each other, communication is good.” And “The manager is supportive and has an open door, I feel able to go and speak to them.”

Care staff spoke highly of the nursing team. One told us, “The nurses work with us and will listen if we raise any concerns or ask for help.”

The registered manager told us they regularly walked the floors to check on staff and identify if there were any issues they needed to act on. They told they had an ‘employee of the month’ incentive for staff and considered any working adjustments needed for staff if for example they had a problem such as with child care.

Regular staff meetings took place as well as daily ‘flash’ meetings with staff were any issues staff wished to discuss could be raised. This included asked if staff if they wanted to pick up an extra shift. The registered manager told us, “Everyone helps one another.”