Havengore House Residential Care 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 as 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 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.

During observations of care delivery, we saw evidence of kindness, warmth, dignity and respect from staff when engaging with people at the service. A relative told us “Could not fault this home they are all very good here... They looked after everyone really well, can’t fault the place. You don’t find many homes like this”.

We asked relatives of people using the service “Are staff kind, respectful and patient? Some of the comments made were;

“All of that and more.”

“Spot on. They couldn’t be kinder to [relative].”

“Oh yes, they’re great. They’re really kind and caring.”

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.

The management team also supported people’s cultural and religious needs. For example, one person who uses the service follows the Islamic faith, the provider put in place provisions for staff to support this individual to access the local mosque on a Saturday so that they can practice their faith.
The service also benefits from a multicultural and diverse team, staff who are multi-lingual are actively encouraged to converse with people at the service in their mother tongue, this has aided in understanding and care delivery as well as aiding in informed consent being obtained.

A relative of a person who uses the service told us, “Oh I do feel that’s so. It’s individualised care, definitely.” Another told us, “Oh very much so. [Relative’s] treated as an individual with individual needs and wants.”

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

The management team ensured people’s care documentation promoted their independence, including people’s capacity to make decisions. Guidance for staff to follow when providing day to day care was recorded to promote choice and control.

We observed staff spent time with people chatting, laughing and joking. There were a range of activities available these included visiting members of the community and other homes, games, exercises and even support animals such as dogs and on occasion a goat. There were no restrictions on when family and friends could visit.

A relative of a person who uses the service told us, “The staff know how to speak to[relative]and talk[them]round and help[them]for example,[they]need hoisting and often resists the strap touching [them] under [their] arms because it can feel sore, but they say to [them] ”We’ve got to touch you there [name] so we can help you get up and have a wash” and then [relative] accepts it and lets them help."

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 had good knowledge of relevant health care concerns, how to identify them in the people they supported and how to respond. For example, they knew when people’s mood deteriorated and what strategies to use to make them happier. This included staff utilising the Validation, Emotion, Reassure, Activity(VERA) Framework. In practice, it helps staff respond to situations such as confusion about time, memory lapses, or distress over deceased loved ones, by focusing on emotional validation rather than confrontation.

A relative of a person who uses the service told us, “The staff are very responsive, very good at talking to [relative] and explaining what’s happening.” Another told us, “[Relative] can be quite aggressive. But they’ve had proper training; they know how to calm [relative] down. They’re very good at understanding what [they] need; if [relative] seems distressed, they’re immediately on to it; they seem to know when [relative] needs [personal care], I’ve seen them in the lounge with other residents; when someone’s [needed personal care] they’ve dealt with it respectfully. They seem to really care about what they do rather than it being just a job”

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

Staff told us they felt valued by the management team. They said they were able to discuss any suggestions or concerns they had, and they were listened to. One staff member told us they “feel like the home makes them feel not alone”, and “The home wants the best for us, gives staff options for choices”. Another staff member told us “The home treats us fairly, I feel proud to be a part of the organisation. I am Muslim I have a prayer mat and am able to pray and am given time to do this”