Castlethorpe Nursing 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 changed to Requires Improvement. This meant people did not always feel well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect.

This service scored 55 (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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. The manager led by example and showed empathy and respect. We saw pleasant interactions between people and staff. A relative told us, "The staff are warm and have offered kind reassurance."

The provider did not always treat people as individuals or make sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They did not always take account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. People were supported by staff who knew them well. However, this was not effectively reflected in their care plans. We saw that many people’s bedrooms were not personalised with items such as photos or their own furniture, and the décor in communal areas appeared tired and uninviting. The needs of people who were cared for in bed were considered. For example, some had decorative ceilings of the sky or the ocean. This meant there was more to look at and to offer people some stimulation.

The provider did not always promote people’s independence, so people did not always know their rights and have choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People’s choices and preferences were not consistently recorded in care plans. This meant there was limited information about personal likes and dislikes, which reduced the ability of staff to provide truly personalised care. This was a missed opportunity to engage with people in a meaningful, person-centred way. Some people were encouraged to complete parts of their personal care to promote their independence, such as washing their face and hands or brushing their teeth. However, this was completed as a task rather than an opportunity to engage people. There were no planned activities or dedicated activity coordinator. Care staff carried out occasional activities alongside their main duties. People told us there were few activities, and we observed long periods where individuals remained in their rooms, often eating meals there, with little additional interaction. People were supported to maintain relationships that mattered to them, including contact with family and friends.

The provider did not always listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment or act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. People told us that their call bells were usually answered promptly. However, staff did not always have the skills and could not always promptly respond if people became distressed. For example, we observed a person became visibly anxious during an activity session, but staff were unable to identify the cause of their distress or offer appropriate support to calm them.

The provider did not always care about and promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not always support or enable staff to deliver person-centred care. We identified a lack of effective supervision and appraisal for the staff. This represented a missed opportunity to assess individual and team performance identify staff support needs, and encourage professional development. We discussed this with the manager, who made changes to internal processes after our assessment. However, staff felt supported, and able to approach the manager for support. One told us, "They ask if we are ok, and say the office is open anytime, and we can call them anytime if we are worried."