Flowerdown 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.

People and relatives told us staff in all roles were kind, caring, friendly and helpful. One relative said, “you feel as though you are part of the family”.

There was a warm, relaxed atmosphere, and we observed people and staff sharing positive conversations with each other.

Staff told us how they maintained people’s privacy and dignity. For example, ensuring people’s doors and curtains were kept closed when they were supporting them, and this was also reflected in people’s care plans. We observed staff knocking on doors and introducing themselves before they entered people’s rooms.

A health professional working with the provider said, “I am always impressed with the staff in this home, they treat each resident with compassion."

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 told us they were supported to mark culturally significant occasions, which were important to them. For example, several people told us how they were supported to mark Remembrance Day, another told us they watched a specific religious service on the television and were supported to practice their faith. Relatives told us special occasions such as birthdays were celebrated and 1 relative told us, “At Christmas, they always give a Christmas stocking which is personalised”.

Although people were generally treated as individuals, given choices around their care, and care plans reflected details of their wishes, we observed some times when staff did not always promote people’s individuality. For example, some staff did not always allow people the opportunity to express their preference when drinks and snacks were served. One staff member told us they chose a person’s meals because the person was unable to talk, despite their care plan stating they could make their own meal choices. This meant they may not have the food they wished.

The provider 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 registered manager was proactive in prioritising all people having access to activities, including those who were supported in bed. They had implemented a creative method to ensure people who were cared for in their rooms had access to activities by live streaming them from the lounge onto people’s televisions in their bedrooms. This meant people who were not able, or chose not to, go to the lounge, could experience group activities and meant they did not miss out. This promoted inclusion, equal access and a sense of belonging for people. Care plans identified people who were unable to access group activities in the lounge. They were offered one-to-one activities in their room and 1 relative told us, “Once they took an owl in to [person’s] room, which [person] loved as they were not able to go downstairs”.

The provider empowered people to have control of their lives, and to support others. For example, 1 person who enjoyed helping staff and other residents, was given the role of ‘resident ambassador’. This had empowered them to develop their skills in supporting people and provided other residents with an advocate who fed back on behalf of residents at meetings.

People’s care plans contained significant detail about people’s lives and backgrounds, for example, their life histories, hobbies, interests and preferences. The provider used this information and knowledge to arrange bespoke experiences for people to enjoy, and these were also available to others to join in. For example, 1 person had an interest in vehicles and the provider arranged people to go on boat trip and visit a museum which had historical vehicles. On another day, the provider arranged for local vehicle enthusiasts to bring their cars and motor bikes to the service for people to enjoy.

People had access to a wide range of activities, and there was a minibus for day trips. For example to go to the beach and garden centres. People and their relatives told us people enjoyed the activities on offer. People could choose if they wanted to take part in activities and staff respected their choices.

The registered manager had completed analysis of the number of social interactions which took place. They identified they wanted to increase these for each person. The registered manager arranged for life enrichment training for staff from all roles, so all staff were trained to have quality interactions with people. Following this, the number of social interactions staff provided increased, the manager told us this helped to reduce the risk of social isolation for people.

People could have visitors at any time, without restriction. One relative told us they were stayed late into the evening. This meant people could have visitors at a time that suited them.

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 responded to people’s physical and wellbeing needs in a timely and effective manner. For example, when 1 person began coughing during a meal, staff immediately provided support to them. Another example was when staff identified 1 person was missing their home, a staff member built a model of it for them. This helped them to feel better and had a positive impact on their wellbeing

Staff demonstrated they knew people well and communicated effectively with people. Staff used alternative methods to support communication where needed, such as writing and speaking clearly when talking to people.

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

Systems and processes were in place to support and value staff. For example, supervisions, appraisals, staff meetings and employee surveys regularly took place and provided staff with the opportunity to provide and receive feedback. This was then used to support improvements to the service.

The provider had staff wellbeing champions, which gave staff additional support and guidance. Most staff spoke positively about the management team and felt they were listened to. A staff member told us they felt, “really supported and welcome” and another told us it was a “friendly” service.

There was a staff benefits programme which rewarded staff, such as the employee of the month, and 2 staff had recently received long service awards. There were team building events organised for staff to attend if they wished, and spontaneous appreciation such as arranging for pizza for the staff.