Huntercombe Hall 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 80 (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. We received mostly positive feedback from people and relatives. A person told us, “It is a community here and I love talking to others…staff are always there to support me”. A relative told us, “Staff are very patient with my [loved one], very kind to [them]” and “They are very careful, respectful, kindly and friendly”. Another relative told us, “There is generally somebody I can have a chat with. There’s always someone either bringing food around, a nurse, always someone. They have treated [person] with a lot of dignity and compassion”. Relatives told us the staff were caring, supportive, and trained.

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. We observed handmade arts and crafts made by people which were on display in the home. The registered manager shared positive outcomes of people. People had access to games, puzzles and magazines around the home. A relative told us the home had lots of board games. For one person, the registered manager recognised the person’s talent and encouraged them to explore this further. This resulted in the person discovering their enthusiasm for their particular interest. The registered manager told us “[Person] found [their] passion".

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People’s care plans were written to guide staff on when people required support and focussed on tasks people could complete independently. Care records were written respectfully when guiding staff to support people with their independence. People were given choice. A person told us, “I love my room because it is big enough and spacious, if there are any issues , they [staff] are quick to support”. A relative told us, “They will go to the kitchen and get what [person] wants. They give [person] choice and if there’s not something [person] likes they will go back to the kitchen for something [person] would like. They do really cater to what they think [person] would like”. Another relative told us, “She will get up and walk, they keep a close eye on her and let her be independent.” Relatives told us their loved had choice at mealtimes.

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. We observed throughout the site visit staff, and the registered manager responded to people and relatives promptly. Call bells were answered in a timely manner. A person told us, “What I like most about this place is the friendliness of everyone, both residents and staff. Staff are always quick to support me in case I am unwell. For instance, I have a bit of issue with swallowing, but staff always assist quickly”. A relative told us, “They [staff] check on [person] regularly, every half an hour”. Another relative told us, “When [person] first came in they called [person] by their first name, but I told them, and they have taken [person’s] preferred name on board and listened”.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff gave us mostly positive feedback. They told us they felt valued, they were spoken to with respect, felt safe and they felt listened to by the registered manager. We identified throughout the day of the site visit, the registered manager had an open-door policy and responded to any concerns raised by their team promptly. The home had a prayer room for staff, and a member of staff told us, “We have a prayer room for staff which shows that we are treated as individuals”.