South Hill

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,dignityand respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At thisassessmentthe rating hasremainedgood. 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 treated people with kindness, and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. People felt comfortable in the presence of care staff. A person told us, “Staff are very friendly.”

People received care from a consistent regular team of care staff that they were familiar with. We observed positive interaction between the manager and people in the service. People were at ease around the manager and we observed a person hug the manager when speaking with them. The manager took time to speak with people and was patient and reassuring.

Staff were able to explain how they maintained people's dignity and encouraged them to make their own choices throughout daily routines. People were involved in decisions about their care and were supported in ways that reflected their needs, wishes, and preferences.

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.

Staff had a good understanding of each person’s preferences, behaviours and unique communication styles. This allowed staff to identify early signs of distress and provide necessary support.

People’s care plans detailed their individual needs and preferences. We saw interactions between people and staff were personalised. People’s support plans included their goals and aspirations, and they were supported to work towards and achieve these.

Staff supported people to engage in activities and social opportunities which reflected their individual preferences and choices. This helped them to maintain links with their local community. Staff supported people to use technology to get connected with friends and family members.

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

People were encouraged to remain as independent as possible, with staff providing assistance and using care plans to prompt independence. Staff supported people to access the community. A relative told us, “They keep [my family member] busy and do activities. They do take [family member] out and listen to what [they] like to do.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People were supported to be in control of and make choices about all aspects of their care. Staff offered choices to people, such as what they wanted to eat or how they wanted to spend their time.

People were encouraged and supported to access the community, develop skills and pursue their personal interests. Staff balanced safety with independence, using their knowledge of each person’s risks and needs to tailor the level of support they provided. A relative told us, “The service always tries to arrange activities to keep [my family member] occupied.”

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. A relative told us, “Carers are good. I think they understand[my family member’s] needs. They are good to [my family member]and staff listen to[family member].”Another relative said, “If any health issues appear the staff immediately contact a doctor and arrange appointments to deal with the problem.”

Staff supported people to engage in things they enjoyed and made them happy. Where people became unsettled, staff were trained to respond and followed care and support plan guidance on how to respond to risk escalation or to people’s changing needs. During the site visit, we observed a person was agitated about an upcoming doctor’s appointment. In response to this, the manager spent time speaking with this person, reassuring them and giving them time and space to talk about their concerns.

Staff were consistently responsive to people’s needs including sitting with them when staff identified they needed reassurance, responding to requests to go out and providing people with information when they needed it. Care records were reviewed by staff to help ensure they included sufficient guidance for staff to care for people in a person-centred way and to recognise people’s changing health needs.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff we spoke with told us they felt supported and valued by their colleagues and management. A member of staff said, “Good place to work. It has been absolutely great. I have learnt a lot. Nice interactions. I do feel valued working here. I feel respected.”

At the time of this assessment, there had recently been a change in the management of the service. The previous registered manager had recently left the service. A manager was temporarily in post and was supported by a peripatetic manager. During the assessment, the manager confirmed that they had recruited a permanent manager who was due to start in July 2026. The new manager would register with the CQC in due course.

Staff spoke positively of the recent changes in management. They said the current manager was supportive, approachable and responsive. A member of staff said, “Things have improved a lot since [the manager] has started working here. I look forward to coming to coming to work now.” A member of staff said, “[The manager] is fantastic. They are very supportive. Anytime I call them, they always help.[The manager]has been great.”

Staff morale was positive. Staff told us they felt valued working at the service and were given opportunities to progress within the service. A member of staff said, “I feel absolutely valued, supported, appreciated and respected by [the manager]. I feel confident in [the manager]. I get proper guidance from [the manager]. I never feel alone.”