Ash 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 of this key question, it was rated good. At this inspection the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

During our inspection we saw people greet individual staff coming on duty with enthusiasm and delight. We saw how people and the staff member benefited from these positive interactions. One person chose to speak with us with their staff member present. The staff member provided the person with reassurance and encouraged them to say what they wanted to. Another person showed us a picture of 1 of their support staff. Other staff explained the rapport that had developed between the person and this staff member. A third person returned from a shopping trip. They wanted to share what they had bought with a member of the management team who responded with interest. One healthcare professional described staff as ‘friendly’.

Relatives explained how people benefited from these positive relationships, particularly when staff shared similar interests and enthusiasms with the people they were supporting. One relative told us, “When [staff member] takes [Name] out, he sends me videos of them together. You can just see how affectionate they are together.”

Although people had 1 to 1 support, staff were mindful that people also needed space and private time. For example, staff gave 1 person privacy but remained outside their door, so they were able to respond quickly when the person needed them. A staff member explained how another person, “Will ask to have some alone time. It is normally half an hour to an hour. I have a phone which they call when they want us to enter their flat.”

The provider displayed information reminding staff of their role and responsibility in promoting dignity in every interaction they had with people.

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’s care plans gave details of their day-to-day needs, preferences and routines. They also gave clear information about what could cause people anxiety or distress and the signs and strategies to follow to prevent or mitigate that distress. Communication tools were tailored to each person to enable them to express their views and wishes.

Staff understood the importance of recognising and promoting people’s individuality to enable them to respond in a way that met people’s needs. For example, staff told us how important it was to have a positive attitude to support 1 person’s emotional wellbeing. Other staff described how they supported a person to follow their faith and engage in significant events celebrating their culture.

The provider did not always promote people’s independence, so people always had choice and control of their own care and wellbeing.

One person told us they enjoyed choosing what they did with their time each day and said, “[Staff] do respect my choices, I feel some staff would listen to them.” Another person told us they enjoyed going out in the community and described some of the activities they participated in. However, relatives felt people would benefit from more opportunities to be actively engaged and try new activities. Two relatives told us they had made suggestions about activities and volunteering opportunities for their family member, but limited action had been taken to facilitate these. Another relative told us, “I think [name] could do with going out a bit more.”

Managers told us they had started to explore more opportunities for people in the community and recognised the positive impact this had on people’s wellbeing and developing friendships. For example, they described how 1 person had been encouraged to try a new activity with another person living in the home and this was now a weekly event they both enjoyed.

Staff described the support they gave people to engage in hobbies and interests. However, staff felt some people would achieve better outcomes if they were encouraged and supported to do more. When speaking about 1 person a staff member commented, “Perhaps a bit more structure for [Name] would not hurt.”

People were able to spend time with others that were important to them, and staff supported people to facilitate and maintain relationships. Where possible, people were supported to use public transport and have access to a mobile phone or electronic device to stay in contact with their relatives.

Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

People received 1 to 1 support, so staff were constantly available to respond to their needs and give them support when they wanted it. One person used a phone to call for staff support and we saw this was responded to immediately. Managers told us staffing would be flexed if people wanted to go out at night or across shift patterns.

Changes in people’s emotional state which could demonstrate a deterioration in their emotional wellbeing were documented and recognised by staff. Staff acted when they identified changes and followed strategies to minimise anxiety or distress.

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

The provider had processes in place to support the wellbeing of staff, including access to external support services. Staff told us a representative from the provider had recently attended the home to remind them of the services available and how to access them. One staff member told us, “The door is always open to the office, and they are always pushing the employee assistance programme. They offer support like counselling or advice for money or health issues, and it is not linked directly to Lifeways. It is like a safe space for us to go to if we don’t feel comfortable going to management.” Another staff member commented, “They have counselling support and if you have struggles with mental health, there are numbers you can call that I have been made aware of. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to managers, there are sites you can go on to get extra support if you need it.” Other staff described flexibility in shifts to enable them to attend medical appointments or events that were important to them. Information about support services was available and accessible to staff.

However, some staff shared concerns about the day-to-day culture within the service which could impact on their working day. We have further reported on this in the well-led section of this report.

Individual staff achievements and good practice were celebrated through staff recognition awards. The provider carried out surveys to gather feedback from staff about their experience of working for Lifeways.