Balmoral 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 65 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People were not always treated with respect, and their privacy and dignity were not consistently upheld. While staff were observed to be kind and compassionate, their approach was often task-focused, which sometimes compromised people’s dignity. For example, we observed a person being moved using a toileting sling in a communal area, which did not fully support their comfort or dignity. Some people were also left sitting in slings after transfers, and clothing protectors were not always removed promptly after meals.

Despite these concerns, people spoke highly of the staff team. One person told us, “The staff are great, all of them. They have so much patience. They work very hard and go out of their way to help us.” We observed staff were kind and caring towards both the people they supported and each other.

The provider treated people as individuals. Staff understood people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, cultural backgrounds, and protected characteristics. They knew people well and generally understood their likes and dislikes. People were given choices in daily life, including what they wanted to eat. The chef told us they would offer alternative options if someone did not like what was on the menu. People had personalised their bedrooms with items brought from home, helping to create a familiar and comfortable environment.

The provider promoted people’s independence and supported them to make choices. People were encouraged to make decisions about their daily lives, and staff respected their preferences, including what they wanted to eat and how they spent their time.

Care plans often referred to what people could do independently and identified areas where additional support was needed. People’s strengths, preferences, and abilities were considered in the planning and delivery of care.

The provider did not always ensure staff were available to listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff were not always able to respond to people’s needs in the moment or act to minimise discomfort, concern or distress.

Communal areas, where people spent time, were often left unattended. On some occasions, the inspection team had to intervene to seek support for people who required assistance. However, the registered manager and staff team were responsive to people’s requests for help when they were available.

The provider promoted staff wellbeing and supported them to deliver person-centred care. Staff generally told us they felt supported by the registered manager. However, the staff team raised concerns about staffing levels and the challenges this created in supporting people effectively.

The registered manager told us they encouraged staff to raise any concerns and aimed to be as flexible as possible in meeting their needs. The provider also offered a staff wellbeing helpline to provide additional support.