Cambridge Park - Community Inpatient Unit (CIU)

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. The service was no longer in breach of the legal regulation in relation to people’s dignity.

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.

Staff treated people and colleagues with kindness, dignity and respect. A person told us, “The patient is at the heart of everything here with the nursing and care staff, I am always treated with dignity and respect.” However, we observed a handwritten note displayed on a person's bedroom door which included information about their specific dietary requirements, and details of a scheduled appointment with the therapy team. While this information may have been intended to support the delivery of care, it was visible outside the person's room. We asked the registered manager to consider whether such information could be communicated in a more discreet way to better promote people's privacy and dignity.

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. The service provides support to people for short periods of time as part of their rehabilitation, which limited opportunities to build a detailed understanding of people's preferences and routines. Bedrooms contained very few personal items, photographs or belongings that reflected people's individual interests and identities. While people’s individual needs were generally considered, there were opportunities for the service to further strengthen how personal preferences, experiences and identities were reflected in their care and the environment.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. The provider took steps to support people’s independence, choice and control. People were seen making choices about their daily activities, with some choosing to have lunch in the downstairs dining room while others preferred to return to their rooms. Staff were also observed involving people in decisions about their care and support. One person told us “Staff always chat about my choices for clothes in the morning. I never, ever feel forced to do something that makes me feel uncomfortable”.

The provider did not always listen to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment and act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. The provider had systems in place to help staff respond to people’s needs, including a call bell system with monitoring and regular analysis of response times. Arrangements were in place to support people overnight, with care staff available throughout the night to monitor people’s wellbeing, respond to requests for assistance, and provide support as required. However, clinical staff were not available on-site overnight. This meant staff needed to seek additional clinical advice or support from external services when people’s health deteriorated overnight. This could negatively affect the timeliness of decision-making and care provided. We could not be assured that people’s needs were always being effectively met. We report on this further in the Safe domain of this report.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The provider had arrangements in place to support staff wellbeing and development. A dedicated, well-equipped staff room was available, providing a comfortable space for staff to take breaks and access hot and cold refreshments. Records reviewed also showed evidence of one-to-one meetings, supervision sessions and staff appraisals.