Kilburn Care Centre

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 as Requires Improvement. At this assessment the rating has improved to Good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 75 (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 told us the staff were compassionate, kind and treated them with dignity and respect. For example, a person told us, “The staff are kind. I have no complaints, they are very helpful.”A person’s relative told us, “I think the staff are amazing. They are friendly, respectful and hard working. My relative is happy at the home and there is a good atmosphere.”

People told us the staff listened to them and communicated with them appropriately.

People usually received timely support from staff when they needed it. A person told us staff usually attended to them quickly when they pressed the call buzzer in their room. However, another person’s relative told us the response time to the call buzzer had improved over the last few months but had recently started to decline again. The inspector raised this with the manager who told us call buzzer response times were monitored and considered when reviewing how many staff were needed on each shift to ensure people’s needs were being met.

People were supported to maintain their dignity. We saw people’s privacy was maintained when they received personal care support.

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’s individual needs and preferences were understood and detailed in their person-centred care plans. Staff told us they understood the importance of treating people as individuals. Care plans included any relevant personal, communication, cultural, social or religious needs, which might be important for care staff to understand when providing care and support.

People’s care plans were available to staff to refer to for guidance on how to support individuals. A staff member told us, “We are also given time to read care plans and risk assessments, which helps us understand each resident’s needs properly.” However, other staff members told us it was difficult to find the time to read people’s care plans during busy periods. For example, a staff member told us, “I do sometimes struggle to find enough time during a single shift to read all residents’ care plans and risk assessments in detail.”

The manager told us crucial information about changes in people’s care requirements were communicated to staff through the provider’s electronic messaging system. The provider also had short meetings which took place each day between senior staff at the care home. That helped ensure key information was shared with staff quickly.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff supported people to experience real choice and control as far as they were able. People’s care needs, preferences, and aspirations were detailed in their individual care plans, and staff had access to those documents to use as a guide.

People were supported by staff to maintain as much independence, choice and control over their lives as possible.

People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them. The provider was supportive of that and encouraged people to maintain those links. There were no visiting restrictions in place.

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 were alert to people’s needs and took the time to observe, communicate and engage people in discussions about their immediate needs. Changes in people’s health status, and emotional states were also monitored.

The provider’s permanent staff knew people well and could quickly recognise when people needed urgent help or when a person was starting to experience a decline in their wellbeing. For example, a staff member told us, “The staff are genuinely concerned for the residents; more than just task focussed and physical care, they consider social and emotional needs. Staff are fiercely protective of the residents and care for them as if they are family, 'not just residents'.”

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

The provider recognised the wellbeing needs of their staff. These included ensuring the necessary resources were available to enable safe working. Staff were given opportunities to provide feedback, raise concerns and suggest ways to improve the service or staff experiences.

Staff told us they felt more supported now. For example, a staff member told us, “We have a new manager who has brought a much more structured and supportive approach to the home. Communication has improved, expectations are clearer, and there is a stronger focus on teamwork and consistency. The atmosphere in the home feels more stable and organised as a result.”