Sherwood

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.

This is the first assessment for this service under this provider. This key question has been rated Outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 95 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

The ethos at Sherwood was one of celebrating people’s strengths, diversity and acknowledging their achievements. Staff actively demonstrated the core values of the service, which were ‘friendly, positive, innovative, empowering and person centred’. Staff showed a genuine interest in peoples’ lives. The service ensured they delivered care which fully reflected each person’s preferences and cultural needs. People were confident their privacy, independence and gender identity was respected at all times. One person said, “I find the staff are kind and caring. They find the time to speak with me; they are respectful of my pronouns and identity.”

Staff showed warmth, compassion, and a clear understanding of each person as a unique individual. For example, staff spoke of how the training they had completed had enhanced their understanding of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender +, (LGBT+) community and of ensuring they provided tailored, appropriate care. One staff member explained, “I worked with 1 person, to develop a training package for the staff team around gender identity. We all learned so much from this as a team.”

The service had a welcoming, positive environment, and we heard people and staff having meaningful conversations during our visit. People were encouraged to retain and fully express their individuality and share their thoughts and sense of humour with others. Our Expert by Experience was made welcome by people, who were happy to share their views and their life stories.

People told us their support was provided at their own pace and they did not feel pressured to hurry. Staff promoted an ethos of co-production, where people were enabled to participate in their care. One person said, “I find the staff are kind and caring, helpful and respectful.”

The management team ensured they continuously monitored and adapted their support provision. People were consistently supported to give feedback about all aspects of their support, environment, meals, staffing levels and activities. The registered manager had robust systems in place, for gathering and acting on feedback, ensuring continuous improvements could be made.

People's feedback was not only sought but used to drive meaningful improvements, ensuring they remained active partners in the development of the service.

The provider always treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People living at Sherwood were encouraged and empowered to have goals and aspirations for their future. These formed the basis of their care and support plan, and these were in turn directed by people. For example, people had been involved in creating their positive behavioural support plans, which detailed their goals to reduce the impact of their behaviours on themselves and those around them. One person said, “The staff understand my triggers, knowing me as a person and provide the right kind of support.” Another person said, “The staff provide the right support I need at any time.”

Staff had received enhanced training to understand and respond to the needs of LGBT+ people using the service. We saw evidence of LGBT+ people being supported to coproduce their care plan, ensuring their needs, including those in relation to gender or sexuality, were recognised and met in a dignified and respectful way. One staff member explained how a person had supported staff to develop the training, ensuring their views were respected and included. The staff member told us how this had helped improve their understanding and informed their clinical practice.

We saw evidence that the registered manager and deputy had created a passion for learning and development amongst the staff. Staff received training that equipped them with the skills and knowledge they needed to support people and the conditions they lived with to the highest standards of person centred and effective care. For example, staff had completed specialist experiential training in the sensory impacts for people living with specific mental health conditions. They had also completed practical training where they had experienced the negative effects of poor-quality care, such as being rushed, or treated without dignity or respect. Staff told us the experience helped them improve their practice and approach.

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

Promoting independence and choice for people was fully embedded in the culture and practice at Sherwood. This included staff proactively encouraging people to make decisions about all aspects of their care, supporting them to take positive risks, and providing opportunities for individuals to maintain or develop skills which enhanced independence. Care planning fully reflected each persons’ goals and aspirations, which were included in daily practice. The service demonstrated they were adaptable and showed a flexibility in routines and staffing to accommodate people’s individual preferences. People's wishes, choices and ambitions remained central to decision-making, ensuring support was personalised and responsive to changing needs and circumstances.

We saw this approach had achieved progression and positive outcomes for people. For example, 1 person had progressed from requiring 1 to 1 staff support at all times. To enable this, the service utilised a door sensor, to alert staff to the person exiting their personal space. This had been assessed and care planned with the person, who was proud of their progress and looking towards the future, where they hoped to live more independently.

Staff were respectful of people’s personal spaces and always asked or consent before entering or prior to providing care. One person said, “The staff respect my dignity and privacy by knocking on the door saying who they are and asking if is okay to come in.” Another person said, “My door is left open today for the room to air, but the staff do always knock before entering the room.”

People had been consulted on their feelings around speaking with the CQC team, prior to us visiting. These easy read guides were included in people’s care records. These documents allowed people to give their consent, and were able to be revisited, should a person change their mind once we had arrived.

The provider was exceptional in how they 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.

People were supported by a staff team who fully understood their anxieties, triggers and distress. One person said, “If I do ask for support from the staff they do come quickly.”

Each person had personalised strategies in place, to anticipate and prevent issues before they arise. For example, one person was observed exhibiting distress during our visit, and the staff promptly attended, to reduce their anxiety, redirect the person, and allow them the space to discuss their feelings. Staff responded calmly, demonstrating a trusting relationship with the person and an understanding of the support that was most effective for them.

Staff showed sensitivity and an active listening approach when engaging with people. For example, where people had previously declined medicines prescribed to support their mental health. We saw the service had promptly initiated reviews with the person and their relevant external team to discuss this. Documentation in care plans showed Antecedent, Behaviours, Consequences (ABC) charts were used effectively, to review peoples identified care needs, and ensure prompt referrals were made for any changes in peoples’ presentation.

External partners gave positive feedback about the service incorporating and following their guidance, to ensure improved outcomes for people. One partner told us, “In my experience, Coveberry Sherwood has demonstrated flexibility and responsiveness when managing unexpected situations and changes in care needs.”

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

The staff team were respected and valued for their knowledge and experience and encouraged to progress within the service and learn new skills. The deputy manager explained how they were supported in developing new skills and transitioning to cover the interim manager role, by the provider. The area manager for the provider was a regular visitor to the service and provided peer support for the management and staff team. The staff team were respectful of each other and in turn, were respected and valued for their experiences, skills and background. One staff member explained how supportive the management team were, regarding flexibility of shifts and always being understanding and considerate towards staff’s family life.