Worplesdon View

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.

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 provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People spoke very positively about the staff, describing care staff as “Extraordinarily attentive and kind” and “Nurses as warm and professional, and ancillary staff are consistently cheerful and welcoming.”

Staff were described as respecting people’s dignity by ensuring doors were closed, signs were displayed and care was provided at a pace that kept people comfortable.

People also said staff took time to engage with them. One person told us, “We share laughter and we talk about their families and they ask about mine.”

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff demonstrated a highly personalised and compassionate approach, taking time to understand people’s individual needs and what mattered most to them. This was evident in arrangements made to support people to remain connected to those important to them. For example, staff arranged a quiet, calm and private space for 1 person to watch a family member’s funeral via livestream, enabling them to participate in this significant occasion in a way that respected their individual needs. For another person, staff went above and beyond to arrange transport and provide the support they needed to attend a family member’s wedding, ensuring they were able to share and celebrate this important family milestone.

The service had developed personalised ‘rummage’ boxes based on people’s individual hobbies, interests and life experiences, including gardening and baking. These were particularly valued in the dementia care community and provided opportunities for people to reminisce and participate in familiar and meaningful activities and express themselves. Staff used their knowledge of people’s past interests to encourage interaction and communication, helping people to maintain their identity, develop their confidence and experience a sense of achievement and enjoyment.

People told us, “All the carers here are very willing and however they are feeling they always say, no problem”, “The staff here, are without exception, all very good and some of them are marvellous” and “Given everything, at my advanced age, if I have to be anywhere, this is where I should be.” One person told us how 1 staff member often volunteered to take items of their clothing or furniture coverings home with them to sew or mend for them.

Care plans demonstrated a strong understanding of people’s individual emotional needs and provided staff with personalised guidance about how to support people when they became anxious. This included identifying effective distraction techniques and recording specific subjects and interests that could be used to engage and reassure the person. This meant staff used a person-centred care rather than relying on a generic approach.

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

People told us staff were attentive and supported their independence and choices. At mealtimes, menus were available on tables and around 7 or 8 staff, alongside the chef, supported people with their meals. Staff offered visual choices to some people and asked others about their preferences to help people make their own choices in relation to their meal. When 1 person changed their mind about their starter, staff responded immediately. One person said, “I can still cope fairly well. I lived on my own previously and for most of my life but this is ideal now. I need help with dressing and showering but they (carers) are kind and helpful.”

In addition, we were told of 2 examples where staff supported people to retain a sense of independence. This included creating a larger than usual ‘button’ which 1 person could lean on to request staff support and assisting another person through the use of their individual communication methods.

Staff told us, “With personal care we give people choices and show options. Support to brush hair and to wash. We need to feel as if we were them and treat them like that. To give them help to move but to do it themselves.”

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.

Staff worked to meet people’s individual needs and preferences, providing compassionate and person-centred care. A relative told us, “I have been so grateful to all the staff for their kindness not only to my (family member) but to me too. Nothing is too much trouble despite the many different calls on their time, often all at once. They cope with his needs with patience and understanding always respecting his dignity.”

We observed staff responding sensitively to people’s emotional needs. When 1 person said, “I can’t stick this any longer. I want to go home” a staff member knelt down and reassured them speaking calmly and they encouraged them to stay for lunch, which they appeared to enjoy.

Staff were also patient when supporting people with their meals, allowing people sufficient time to eat at their own pace. One person told us, “The carers are very good. When I had my bouts of illness, they were in and out of my room all the time to check how I was doing and to ask if I wanted anything.”

The service also took appropriate steps to maintain people’s comfort during the hot weather. On the day of our inspection, temperatures were very hot outside but the inside remained comfortable, with fans available in communal areas and some people’s rooms. People told us they had generally not been overly inconvenienced or discomforted during the hotter days of the summer.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Following feedback from staff the registered manager arranged a dedicated careers day. This resulted in staff accessing courses to gain qualifications, training and resources, as well as supporting career progression into different roles, for example moving to be deputy managers in others of the providers services.

The service also demonstrated a thoughtful and individualised approach to staff wellbeing and inclusion. This included providing a dedicated space for prayer and reflection, flexibility around working arrangements and recognition of staff through initiatives such as employee of the month, birthdays, International Nurses Day and Carers Week.

Through these initiatives and the registered managers commitment to staff, staff retention was good with several staff having worked at the service for many years. This positive, supportive and thoughtful approach to the staff team was reflected in a recent staff survey which demonstrated high levels of satisfaction, indicating staff were very happy working at Worplesdon View.