The environment impacted upon people using the service. We found that it compromised people's privacy and dignity. One person said they did not feel safe sleeping in a dormitory with other people because they did not know what risk they may pose. We found that there was always sufficient staff on duty but some people did not like the use of agency and bank staff. One person told us that they did not always feel safe when irregular staff were on duty.
One person with whom we spoke said, "I feel totally respected here, I was told about my rights." People with whom we spoke told us that most of the staff are really polite. One person said "I am able to approach some but not all the staff." In addition to this another person with whom we spoke said, "I like the food and the staff are so polite, its like being at a relatives house really which is much better than I thought. I feel respected and like a human being."
Most people told us that they felt they could talk to staff and ask them questions. In addition to this most people told us that the staff were very approachable.
During the three days on which we visited the Weller Wing we directly and indirectly observed people being treated and respected as individuals, examples of this were observed with people being offered choices and information about their care and support. In addition to this we observed people being involved in their individual treatment programme's and making agreements about their individualised support networks. We observed people being encouraged to become involved in meeting such as the external agency meeting provided by IMPACT and advocacy advisory groups.
People with whom we spoke told us that the care, treatment and support they were receiving was as they expected. One person with whom we spoke said "The staff are kind and caring."
One person with whom we spoke told us, "When I came here the staff told me about my rights and we spoke about the care I would be getting. The staff told me about my named nurse and my care plan. I had to sign my care plan and also agreements about smoking and behaviour."
A small group of people with whom we spoke told us about how they perceive staff managing challenging situations within the units. People feed back that staff are responsible and effective. One person said that, "Staff do generally care and help us". Another person said, "They really have helped me" and "Its like the Ritz." This person was referring to other places where they had received care treatment and support.
People with whom we spoke told us that they felt safe at the Weller Wing. One person told us, "I know I can talk to the staff if I have any worries." Another person with whom we spoke told us, "There are certain staff that I would speak to and others that I would not."
People told us that the staff are generally attentive to people who may be experiencing difficulties and or issues.
Some people told us that they had not received information on their rights or information about the services on offer, whilst others told us they had been provided with information, including the visiting advocacy service.
Most people told us that they felt safe and that staff treated them with respect