Alexander House 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 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.

Staff treated people with care and kindness. Relatives confirmed this with one saying, “It’s just how they are, they do care and they are lovely to everybody, I don’t tell them when I’m going, I call in as I’m passing and you can see very clearly from outside attending to everyone’s needs there’s not one concern I have”.

Another relative commented on how staff had maintained their family member’s dignity to such a degree that they were unaware they needed support with continence issues until they needed to be admitted to hospital.

Feedback from partners indicated staff were supportive of, for example, visits from local authority staff.

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.

Staff clearly knew people well and demonstrated a person-centred approach in their interactions. Care plans were person centred and considered people’s preferences. We discussed with the management team about how daily records of the care and support provided to people could be developed to continue to demonstrate the person-centred approach.

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

Care plans clearly detailed people’s strengths and goals or the outcomes they would like to achieve. People’s preferences about their care and support were included in care plans. Relatives told us staff asked for their input when their family members were unable to communicate their choices.

We saw staff offering people choice in such as drinks, where to spend their time and what they would like to do. Activities were provided which some people appeared to enjoy and bus passes were being obtained to enable people to get out and about.

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 were available to respond to people as they needed. People told us staff were always around to help them and came quickly when they needed help. Staff knew people’s preferred routines and provided support to maintain these.

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

Staff had access to the provider’s confidential employee assistance line which was in place for staff to access various means of support. The registered manager told us they tried to be as flexible as possible in supporting staff with such as flexible working patterns, shift swapping and emergency leave as needed. They also provided staff with occasional treats, snacks and takeaway meals.

Staff told us they trusted the registered manager and felt listened to. A recent ‘You said, we did’ following a staff survey showed how, in response to staff request, a new room had been created for staff to take their breaks in.