Grace Care Centre

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 changed to outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 95 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. Staff had embedded a culture of kindness and respect. It was evident through are observations that the staff were respectful of people. We observed people participating in in craft activities with the staff supporting them. This had generated conversations, with people and supported them to reminisce about past experiences.

People felt the staff respected their privacy and dignity. A person told us, “They do respect me. They say this is your home, so they knock on the door and don’t come in until I say.” Another person told us, “Yes, they do make sure they respect my privacy; they knock on my door and check if it’s alright to come in. They make sure I am respected and treated with dignity, especially when showering me.”

The service welcomed its own team of volunteers who played an important role at the service. Some volunteers were friends and family of people, who had previously lived at the service and had passed away. Other volunteers supported due to wanting to fulfil another role and had the time to give to people. The volunteers were showed kindness and compassion and were committed to providing good outcomes for people. They helped with various roles such as activities, talking to people, laying tables, group events, parties and supporting with reception duties. They were valued by people, staff and the management team. We spoke with a volunteer about their experience. They told us, “I like the home a lot and it’s nice they have a stable team. I need them in my life to keep busy. I get a real sense of satisfaction being here. I was even invited here Christmas day for lunch.”

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. People’s care was exceptionally personalised, with people treated as individuals. Celebrations held were tailored to each person. One person for example had lived at the service for many years and wanted to show their appreciation to the staff for all of their hard work, which went beyond a thank you. They held their own awards night at the service to celebrate the staff teams achievements. It was important to the person that the staff felt appreciated. This was a person led ceremony, where the person gave out awards to the staff in their name. The evening included a celebration of food, drinks, music and awards with staff and other people. The person told us, “I wanted the staff to let their hair down and to feel valued.” The registered manager told us, “It is important that we value each other, and this was important to the person.” Another person was supported to maintain contact by attending yearly reunions with friends they had known for over 48 years. Grace Care Centre invited their friends and hosted the yearly reunion at the service, with drinks and food provided. The registered manager told us this gave the person a sense of belonging, by reminiscing about past experiences they shared together.

Staff had a strong emphasis on helping people to pursue hobbies and interests. One person had a keen interest in baking and had organised with staff to make a Christmas cake, which they assisted with. The service supported the person with baking, and they took part in national biscuit day. Some people had goals to visit a cathedral and castle, which the staff supported. Another person loved animals, so regular animal therapy sessions took place at the service, which comforted and brought joy to the person. The staff team were enthusiastic and looked at how they could involve people in activities and projects. The staff and people living at the service, had made their own Christmas song, which had been released. They were keen for this to be promoted and hit the music charts.

People’s religious and cultural needs were respected, with service having good links with local places of worship. A person told us, “There are church services and I have had Communion here.” Another person told us, “People come in to visit me. Twice a week we have a meeting and the staff come in and set up on an I-pad so I can join in with the meetings. If I attend in person, they give me an early lunch to support me.”

Staff knew people well and were able to provide key information about people, in relation to how to approach people. This included how to speak to people with hearing loss and a sight impairment. People’s care plans reflected their individual routines, choices, and how they liked to spend their time. For example, some people preferred to spend the day in their room, seeing family and friends. Other people liked to enjoy time socialising with others in lounge and communal areas.

The provider was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People were supported to take positive risks, to help promote their independence, choice and control. For example, some people expressed their wish to go ice skating. Due to their needs, they were unable to ice skate standing up using skates. The activities coordinator risk assessed people’s needs and arranged for a small group of people to go ice skating, using their wheelchairs, to ensure safety. A relative had praised the service regarding the activities and gave feedback to the service. They said, “I just want to say thank you for your enthusiasm and determination to help the residents, they really enjoyed it, including my relative.”

Positive changes had been made to enhance people’s quality of life and to promote, independence and choices. Previously the service had 2 kitchenettes and people were asked their preferred choices at mealtimes, and their meals were taken to the table. The service recognised that this took away control and the independence of people. A new servery area for hot food was purchased with a selection of hot food, for example beans, bacon, toast and egg at breakfast time. The registered manager told us; this had a positive impact on people’s wellbeing as it was centred around a hotel style buffet. We observed people were able to help themselves to breakfast, which promoted choice and independence. The service also offered continental options.

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 knew people well and could anticipate people’s individual needs. This meant that changes in people’s needs and wellbeing could be identified by the staff. Some people lived with diagnosed health conditions. The staff were able to recognise when people had become withdrawn, anxious or unwell. Through earlier intervention of the staff, they were able to support people. An example included, where staff had noticed a person had lost their confidence and their wellbeing was affected. A formal care review was held with the person, family and staff. It was identified they required extra support. The registered manager told us, “Through making changes with medication timings, increased staffing, named daily carer allocated, wellbeing checks and adaptive equipment, this had a positive impact on the person’s wellbeing.”

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. Staff were empowered and cared for by the provider and registered manager. A staff member told us, “Working here is so lovely and the support I receive from the managers is amazing. They look after the staff very well. They have supported me with flexibility at times.”

Staff were supported with a wellbeing room provided, where they could take breaks in a calm and peaceful surrounding. Toiletries and snacks were provided. Some were trained mental health first aiders and helped to support staff a time when they needed to talk about how they were feeling. The registered manager told us this had been a valuable source of support and had been used by many staff, with early intervention being key. The mental health first aiders had supported the whole staff team to deal with unexpected illness of other staff and bereavement within the team. If staff were off with long term illness, the registered manager provided a hamper as a gift with treats and a card. Through staff conversations we were told the staff met up outside of work monthly to network with each other.

The provider offered an employee assistance programme, which could be accessed at any time. Many incentives were offered to the staff with small tokens of appreciation and thank you cards, to help celebrate their hard work and the positive impact on the people they cared for. This included for example, the most person-centred care plan.

Staff supported each other’s wellbeing and included people. On the first day of are assessment, staff and people took part in a bad Christmas jumper day competition. Staff and people, who wished to take part, wore a Christmas jumper and a final vote and award was given during the day. One staff member told us, “It is nice as humour and fun, really helps people and the team. It is good for wellbeing.”