Arundel House - Frinton-on-Sea

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question 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 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People’s privacy and dignity was mostly respected and upheld. During our inspection visit we noted a person receiving chiropodist treatment in the communal lounge area. The registered manager also saw this and immediately addressed the situation. However, people told us this happened at every chiropodist visit and it had not been identified as a dignity concern until now.

People told us they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day-to-day care and support. People felt staff listened to them and communicated with them appropriately, in a way they could understand. One person said, “They are good listeners, both (registered manager] and [Head of Area Operations].” Another person said to us, “I like the staff, they are kind to me.”

People believed staff would respond to their needs quickly and efficiently, especially if they were in pain, discomfort, or distress.

A relative told us, “Overall my experience of dealing with my [family member’s] care team is excellent. I love that many of the team at Arundel House have been around for many years. That continuity is extremely reassuring for me, and I'm certain for my family member too. The genuine warmth of the staff is always evident when I visit, they adore my family member and manage [their] needs with compassion, respect and kindness.”

At the previous inspection in March 2023 the lack of person-centred care plans placed people at an increased risk of not having their needs met. This was a breach of regulation 9 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.

At this inspection provider had made improvements and the service was no longer in breach of regulation 9. Care plans had been fully reviewed routinely to help ensure information contained within was as up to date as practicably possible. We noted people’s care plans were reviewed after any health concern or significant incident.

Care plans were individual, reflecting the person. People using the service had complex needs, this meant there were some events where support staff needed clear information and quickly. Staff told us they had all the information they needed to support people in the event of an emergency.

People were supported to have choice and control over their own care and to make decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing.People were supported to maintain relationships and networks important to them.People had access to activities and the local community to promote and support their independence, health and wellbeing.

A relative explained how hard it was to engage a person with activities or pastimes. They told us the team constantly searched and checked with family on how to get the person involved, engaged and stimulated. The person was offered trips or walks daily and if they expressed an interest in anything such as cooking and gardening for example, they were supported to do this.

People’s needs, views, wishes and comfort were a priority and staff anticipated these were possible to help avoid preventable discomfort, concern or distress.Staff observed, communicated and engaged people in discussions about their needs.

We watched a staff member engaging gently and calmly with a person. The staff member clearly understood this person well, the person’s demeanour calmed and they relaxed in the staff member’s company.

An external professional told us, “The individuals at Arundel House have complex needs, however when people are upset, they are treated with kindness and reassurance is always offered.” 

People received safe, effective and person-centred support because the provider recognised and supported the wellbeing needs of staff.The provider had introduced a staff wellbeing app for staff to access 24/7 should they need support. The registered manager said they had reminded staff of this facility when they were coming to terms with the passing of a long term and much cared for person in the home.

People were supported by staff who felt valued by their managers and their colleagues.