Wendleberrie 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 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 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 interactions we observed showed that people were treated with kindness, respect and dignity. Staff spoke to people in a warm and friendly way, took time to listen to them and responded to their needs.

One person said, "They seem to take their time with all of them." Another person said, "They're always welcoming, they're all really nice and very kind towards (relative)."

Staff supported people with personal care, meals and moving around in a respectful way. They provided reassurance and checked people were comfortable throughout. Personal care was provided in private and staff supported people's emotional wellbeing with kindness and sensitivity.

We observed that continence sheets had been placed on all chairs in the communal areas. Although this was intended to protect the furniture, it had been applied to all seating regardless of individual need and made the environment feel less homely. We discussed this with the provider, who reviewed the practice and removed the continence sheets during the assessment.

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 supported in a way that recognised their individual needs, preferences and choices. We saw staff offering people choices about their care and daily routines wherever possible.A person told us, "They know the things I like and don't like; I don't like spicy, they wouldn't give me that." Another relative told us, "We said in the beginning all the things he liked, and they know all about his condition and how it affects him."

Staff respected people's wishes about how they wanted to live their lives and encouraged them to make their own decisions and remain as independent as possible.Staff understood that people's needs could change and adapted the support they provided.Many staff had worked at the service for a long time and had built positive relationships with people and their families.

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

Staff respected people's day-to-day choices. People were offered choices about their personal care, meals, clothing, daily routines and how they spent their time.A person told us, "I am a vegetarian and they do lots of fish dishes and special vegetable dishes for me."

We observed staff encouraging people to do as much as they could for themselves, while providing support when needed. Staff promoted people's independence and helped them maintain control over their daily lives.Staff told us they involved people in decisions about their care and daily routines, including when they got up, what they wore, what they ate and the activities they wanted to take part in.Where restrictions were needed to manage risks, staff understood the reasons for these and followed the appropriate processes.

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.

We observed that call bells were responded to promptly. People were checked regularly, including during the night, and staff responded quickly when people needed support, reassurance or personal care.The provider told us staff had completed training on recognising and responding to deterioration. They understood how to identify changes in people's health or wellbeing and knew how to take appropriate action without delay. Staff also described how they would support people who were distressed using reassurance and other techniques to help keep them safe.

The service used a digital clinical support system to access advice from NHS healthcare professionals. Staff used the system to share clinical information and seek timely advice when they were concerned about a person's health, helping them respond quickly to changes in people's needs.A relative told us, "They always inform me if there's been any incident or if (relative) got an appointment."

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

Staff spoke positively about working at the service and told us they felt supported in their roles. They said managers were approachable and available when they needed advice or support.Staff received regular supervision and annual appraisals, and regular staff meetings were held to share information and discuss the service.

The provider promoted staff wellbeing by encouraging staff to raise concerns, share ideas and ask for support. Staff told us they felt valued, and management were flexible with shift patterns where possible to support their wellbeing.