Dolphin View 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 70 (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.

Staff were committed to their work and knew people they cared for very well. There were some real mutual, therapeutic and caring bonds between staff and those they cared for. We saw staff interacting with people in a manner that displayed empathy, kindness and compassion. Staff respected people’s privacy and dignity at all times.

People told us staff were kind and caring and comments from one person included, “Staff had been really kind and caring to me recently as I have been very unwell, they look after me well.”

A relative said, “The carers are all very kind and caring to dad and will have him ready (for family) when we are taking him out.” Another relative said, “The staff go out of their way to make mum comfortable and to see that she has everything she needs.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure their care, support and treatment met individual needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Care plans gave a summary of each person, highlighting their strengths, goals and any important personal characteristics.

We observed that people using the service had built good relationships with staff and there was a genuine warmth towards staff and a sense of belonging in the home.

A person said,” My room is set up exactly how I like it, and staff make sure I have all my personal items close at hand.”

A staff member reflected, “We know residents well, recognising their likes and dislikes and would know when a person wasn’t happy or feeling themselves.”

The provider did not always promote people’s independence, so people did not always knowtheir rights and have choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Processes were in place for staff to ensure people could make choices when possible. Staff included family members in decision making where people could not do so themselves.Care planning specified details that promoted people’s independence and choice.

The provider had only recently introduced the role of activity coordinators. As the roles were new the activities offered still required development to ensure that a meaningful and inclusive programme would be provided for people to enjoy.

Staff told us that the manager encouraged and supported them to use their own ideas to make activities in the home better. They ran sessions like bingo, coffee mornings, arts and crafts and organised trips out.

A family member told us, “[Staff member] could see that [person] was struggling earlier in the year and took him out for a while herself. He is a very social chap and as there are no organised trips out, he can find it difficult at times."

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.

Arrangements were in place for external healthcare professionals to visit people with skin damage or wounds. The manager acknowledged skin integrity had been a recently identified issue and as a result, had arranged additional training for all staff, as well as clinical learning for nurses. Recording of information had also been identified as an issue, with some staff not updating records accordingly. This had been dealt with appropriately and we saw positive examples of skin damage improving over recent months. Discussions with staff had taken place regarding good record keeping.

A person explained that she had complained about her hand and staff had referred her concerns on to the doctor. A relative said, “[Name] had a very rattly chest when I visited her, and I told the nurse. The nurse immediately called the GP. In fact, they have just been again to check on [relative’s] infection, and she has been given more antibiotics.”

Feedback from a visiting professional included, “Staff did listen to my instructions and were happy to cascade anything I agreed. They appeared happy to follow guidance and were good at questioning when they were unsure about anything or needed some clarification.”

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

The manager had worked hard since joining the service to ensure there were processes in place to help staff deliver good person-centred care and treatment. This included engaging the staff team in regular supervisions, appraisals, team meetings and debriefs. Staff felt that management were approachable and open.

Feedback from the staff team included comments such as, “This is such a nice place to work – some staff have been here for ages and that speaks volumes.” Another member of staff said, “The manager has made such a difference in a positive way – you can feel how she makes the home feel warm, caring and friendly.”

A relative told us, “It seems [the manager] has got the ball rolling again [at the home] and the staff seem happier.