Argentum Lodge

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 90 (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.

Respect for privacy and dignity was at the heart of the service’s culture and values. It was embedded in everything that the service and its staff did. The manager completed dignity audits which included observations of staff interactions with people to ensure care was person centred and respected people’s dignity. Some staff had roles as dignity champions in the service, they had received training from the National Dignity Council. Their role was to promote best practice and ensure treating people with dignity and respect was embedded into staff’s day to day practice.

People and their relatives told us people’s privacy and dignity was always respected. One relative said, “They get treated well and treated with dignity. This is a big thing for me and my loved one.”

The service ensured that staff in all roles were highly motivated and offered care and support that was exceptionally compassionate and kind.

The interactions between staff and people we saw were all positive and people appeared relaxed, and at home in their surroundings and in the company of staff. Staff responded to people’s requests quickly and took the opportunity to engage in general conversation with people. We observed visitors to the home were welcomed and treated with respect and the manager was available to speak with them as they requested.

The service ensured staff focused on building and maintaining open and honest relationships with people and their families, friends and other carers.

We received and read heartfelt comments from people and their relatives throughout our inspection. People and family members were unreservedly grateful and satisfied with the kindness and compassion shown to them.

People told us staff were very kind and caring. One person said staff were “perfect, very attentive”. Another person told us, “I can’t fault the staff, always available to help, they pop in and check on me”. Relatives were overwhelmingly positive about the kind and compassionate approach of staff. Comments included, “All the staff (whatever their role) are so welcoming, kind and caring” and “The attention to detail, compassion, and genuine love shown by everyone shines through in everything they do. The kindness extended not only to residents but also to visiting family and friends is so deeply appreciated.” A care professional told us, “The staff at Argentum are consistently friendly, kind, and caring, not only to [person] but also to me, and their support has made an incredible difference in their life."

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.

The manager collected information about people and created detailed care plans. They shared information with staff to ensure they had a good understanding of people, their communication needs and what they wanted to achieve. We heard very positive feedback for the managers and staff supporting people successfully, including when people had struggled to find care services to meet their needs.

A health professional told us, "Argentum took the time to read their care plans and got to know them, not just their diagnosis. All staff were on board with communication and actively hit the ground running and their placement was a success, and we discharged very quickly as they were so content. That is 100% due to the approach of staff. They were person centred, kind and compassionate and I could see that they genuinely cared for them.”

There were creative ways of reflecting people’s personal histories and cultural backgrounds. Where people followed a religion, they were supported to practice this both in the home where regular services were held, and as part of their wider community by going to local churches.

Some people had specific care plans around supporting them with their sexuality. This recorded person centred approaches to support the person, while respecting their sexual identity and maintaining their dignity while ensuring their and others safety. Where people had a preference for gender of staff supporting them this was provided.

The service clearly evidenced how people had been empowered to tell staff how they wished to be supported, and actions were taken to support them with their choice. For example, where a person was at risk of choking but liked to eat their breakfast in bed, the service had worked in partnership with the person and a speech and language therapist to ensure this was possible and safe for the person.

All staff were particularly sensitive to times when people needed caring and compassionate support. For example, where people had experienced a bereavement managers and staff supported people with their grief. For example, plants had been planted in the service’s garden in loved one’s memory which provided a place for people to spend time and reflect. A relative told us, “Being able to share photos, plant shrubs in their memory in the garden and speak to those who knew and miss [person] too has really helped them on their grief journey.”

People were smartly dressed and looked well cared for. It was evident people were supported with personal grooming and staff had sustained those things that were important to them prior to moving into the home. This included shaving and nail care. People enjoyed going to the homes salon to have their hair done.

People’s bedrooms were personalised. A relative said, “The environment is very homely, and it was great to be able to make their rooms their own with their own things from home.”

Relatives told us people’s individuality was respected. Comments included, “There is a real holistic approach to the care at Argentum, and it is very personalised” and “I have never experienced this style of nursing before, and I am over the moon with the care and attention [person] gets.”

The service was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

The service helped people to express their views in a range of ways. Resident meetings encouraged people to share their views on areas, such as menus, activities and raise individual points of their choice. Changes were made to improve people’s experiences of care.

People had been supported to work towards their chosen goals which had positively affected their wellbeing and increased their independence. Some people had been supported to reduce medicines prescribed to manage periods of distress. Other people, who wanted to improve their mobility had been supported to work towards this. One staff member explained how the staff team had supported a person to increase their independence with mobility in line with their wishes. They told us, “[Person] needed help and we used the Sara steady and then they moved on to using a walker and now they're independent again.”

Clinical staff supported people who experienced pain to effectively manage their pain levels, this was clearly evidenced through records we were shown.

Managers and staff focused on ensuring people received the care and support they wanted. Care plans focused on people’s preferences and choices and explained approaches staff should take to support people in accordance with them. People’s life histories and values were considered and approaches to care developed to respect them. People were listened to and their choices respected.

The service encouraged people to choose how they spent their time. Activities coordinators liaised with people and families around people’s current and past interests. A wide range of in house and community activities which were meaningful for people were provided. People could decide which group activities they wished to take part in or if they preferred a 1 to 1 activity. Staff completed impact statement forms with people after some community activities; these evidenced the positive effects on people’s wellbeing.

Activities available to people included church and sewing groups, visiting singers, quizzes and bingo. People also had opportunities to spend time in the local community and went for walks, to local cafes and shops.

People and relatives were overwhelmingly positive about the range of activities provided. People’s comments included, “There is always something going on “and “I do gardening, watering and planting.” Relatives told us, “The level of activities is beyond anything I have experienced, and a great deal of thought is put into them” and “The activities are not forced, they are given a choice. They are doing more now than they have done in the last 5 years.”

People were supported to maintain relationships which mattered to them. Visitors and relatives were observed spending time with their loved ones. Relative comments included, “I can turn up any time to visit “and “It is lovely that family and friends can visit, and they always say how welcome they feel and what a lovely atmosphere there is.

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.

People had call bells within reach to call for assistance. When people pressed their call bell or requested support they were responded to quickly by staff. Where people requested support, staff provided this support. Staff responded to people’s needs with patience and respect. For example, when people required support with moving and handling staff gave encouragement and spent time with people, enabling them to move as independently as they could.

Staff knew how to respond appropriately and what actions to take if a resident was to have a fall. One staff member told us, “We press the emergency alarm and call for help. We work as a team to make the resident comfortable. Nurses an examination. if it's an emergency or they've been injured we inform the emergency services or the GP. We make sure we keep monitoring them.”

People and their relatives told us they could ask for food and drink when they wanted, and this would be provided. One person said staff were, “Always ready with a cup of tea”.

Staff handovers and daily meetings shared information about people’s changing needs and demonstrated the staff team were aware and monitoring any health or wellbeing concerns they had for people. Regular clinical meetings effectively identified where referrals to external health professionals were needed for people. Referrals were made in a timely manner so people could access the support they needed. This included to speech and language and positive behaviour management teams.

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 wellbeing initiatives such as an employee support programme and an incentive scheme for ensuring required training was kept up to date. The provider recognised staff through an employee of the month awards scheme. Staff and residents were encouraged to nominate carers who had gone above and beyond in their work. Winners were presented with a certificate and a gift.

The manager shared examples of how they had provided staff with personalised support at times when they needed this. The manager planned rotas to ensure staff had regular days off, and areas for staff to take their breaks while at work were available.

The provider focussed on internal development of staff. Some staff had been promoted to new roles with additional responsibilities; the manager had supported staff throughout this process. The manager had also nominated a staff member for a nationally recognised care award and they had been selected as a finalist.

Staff told us they enjoyed working at the service and this was evident through several long serving staff members. They shared examples of how the provider had supported them to access additional training to develop in their roles.

The manager encouraged staff to contribute their ideas. Staff comments included, “Yes, I can make suggestions” and “We are always supported with new ideas.”