Cliff Court 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 well-supported, cared for and treated with dignity and respect.

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. Relatives spoke highly of the care their loved ones received. One relative told us, “The care couldn't be any better.” Another relative said, “Staff are authentic, kind and caring.” Relatives told us that they also felt cared for by the management team and staff. One relative told us they struggled with their loved one’s diagnosis but the deputy manager would always provide reassurance and explain to the relative what was ‘normal.’ Relatives told us staff always asked how they and their families were. One relative told us they found this supportive as it also meant staff would be able to talk to their loved one about their family. Staff treated people with patience and kindness. They spoke about people with compassion and care, they knew people really well. They told us how they supported people to maintain their dignity, taking into account what was important to each person. People were well presented in clean clothes. One relative told us, “People are always clean and tidy, there’s no smells, people's fingernails are always clean and cut.”

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. Relatives told us staff knew their loved ones as individuals. One relative told us, “The staff are kind and friendly. I feel they really understand what my mum requires.” Staff responded to each person in a way that met the person’s needs and demonstrated staff knowledge of that person. Staff supported people to make their own choices and decisions but used their knowledge of people to guide and direct. Staff were able to tell us about people’s individual care and support needs. They spoke about people as individuals and were able to tell us about their interests and families. Family and friends were able to visit the home at any time.

Improvements were needed to ensure all aspects of people’s independence were promoted and have choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. There was a lively activity program each afternoon. People were supported and encouraged to join in and people were seen to be enjoying themselves. Where people were less able, staff supported people to participate. Whilst the group activities suited a number of people well, some relatives told us they wished for their loved one to have the opportunity to take part in activities that were more meaningful to them. One relative said, “It would be nice for her to have some more age appropriate activities. The activities when they happen are shaped around much older people.” Another relative told us about their loved one’s interests and how they would like them to have opportunities to continue to enjoy these activities. There was information in people’s care plans about their interests and what they liked to do. However, there was no information about how people could be supported to continue these interests and develop new ones. We raised this with the provider as an area to review and develop to ensure everyone was able to participate in activities of their choice. Staff understood people had a right to receive the care and support that met their individual needs. They told us how they supported people with their individual choices for example, in relation to their routines and what they wore. People were supported to understand their choices by using different ways to communicate. The chef asked people each day what they would like to eat, this included the use of pictorial cards to help with decision making. People were supported to maintain relationships with their family and friends. Visitors were welcomed at the home and relatives told us they could visit whenever they wished. Relatives told us they were supported to remain an integral part of their loved ones’ lives.

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. Staff were attentive and used their knowledge of people to identify changes in people’s needs. They noticed when people were anxious or distressed and responded promptly. We spoke to staff about one person who spent a lot of time walking around the home. Staff explained why this was, what action was being taken and described the reassurance they were providing. One person complained of some discomfort and staff ensured they received a pain killer that they had been prescribed. Relatives told us their loved ones’ needs were attended to promptly when they or staff identified any concerns.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The provider was committed to providing a positive working environment for staff. She told us how she actively worked with staff to develop their knowledge and skills, and to promote their confidence. She told us by doing this it ensured that people received high quality care and support. She also said that in her absence she was assured that people continued to receive high quality care because staff had the knowledge and skills to provide this. Staff told us the provider and deputy manager were approachable, friendly, they were considerate of their wellbeing and personal needs. Staff told us they could talk to them at any time and about anything. Staff said they felt well supported by the management team and other staff. One staff member said, “We can always speak to [management team]. They always listen to us.” Another staff member told us, “The provider is always present and very supportive with no problems.” A further staff member said if the provider was not at the home she was, “Always available on the phone. If we need any support, she is available. Even if she can't be here she will phone through. She’s definitely supportive.” Staff received regular supervision. Through this staff were able to identify areas where they would like to develop or gain new skills. The provider ensured staff were given opportunities to develop and gain more experience. Staff were regularly updated through handovers and staff meetings about any changes at the home, to people’s needs, changes to procedures or to update staff about ongoing issues.