Tavistock Court

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• 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 supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

As part of this assessment, we looked at 3 quality statements for the key question of caring. These were kindness, compassion and dignity, independence, choice and control and responding to people’s immediate needs.

People were treated with great kindness, empathy and compassion and their privacy and dignity was always maintained. People’s independence was always encouraged and promoted ensuring they had choice and control over their care and support. Staff knew people very well and took time to observe, communicate and engage people in discussions about their immediate care needs.

This service scored 80 (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.

Above everything else people said it was the activities and the company of others that was vital for their mental well-being. One person told us, “If there weren’t any activities taking place I would be stuck in my room. I would feel very lonely.”

We found that staff went over and above their roles to support people to take part in activities and to avoid social isolation. For example, the housing provider had stopped providing activities for people living at the scheme, so the care team took it upon themselves to organise events and activities. We saw that some staff had personally purchased art and craft material or had approached services for donations to enable them to provide activities such as gardening, flower arranging, dominoes and various other activities. One staff member received an award for going above and beyond their role by providing people with opportunities to work in the garden, growing their own produce and plants.

Another staff member had taken photographs of all the activities that took place at the service and had provided these at their own expense. In addition, they had purchased photo albums, and we saw these around the premises or on a notice board for everyone to share.

One staff member had brought in their own pool table which had been very popular with people using the service. With the support of the care staff, people had requested a pool table from the housing provider which was agreed. This meant people felt that their views were listened and responded to.

We saw that staff supported people to combat social isolation by taking people out shopping, going out to lunch, attending appointments as well as interactions at the service. This had improved people’s mental wellbeing and self-esteem.

Staff we spoke with were fully aware of the core values of the service and were passionate about their jobs. One staff member commented, “Our job is all about supporting people in a kind and compassionate way and most importantly by listening to them. If someone wants to do something new, we all try to make that happen for them.”

We saw that staff supported people to combat social isolation by taking people out shopping, going out to lunch, attending appointments as well as interactions at the service. This had improved people’s mental wellbeing and self-esteem. One staff member had brought in their own pool table which had been very popular with people using the service. With the support of the care staff, people had requested a pool table from the housing provider which was agreed. This meant people felt that their views were listened and responded to.

Staff spoke about the people they cared for in a kind and sensitive manner. One member of staff described how vulnerable and anxious many of the people felt when they first received support from the service and how they worked with people to build up their confidence and trust in them, so they could fully engage in their care and support.

We received positive feedback from health and social care professionals who told us that there was an attitude of respect and inclusion within the culture of the service. For example, when new people moved to the service, they were encouraged to feel welcomed and were greeted by staff on their arrival. Once a person had a date to move into the service, a senior member of staff would schedule themselves to be on duty so they could spend some time with the person, going through their care plan to make sure they were happy. Staff would support the person throughout the day, popping into their flat, checking they were happy, and would escort the person to the activities and lunch club. A staff member would always stay with the person until they were happy to go alone. The person would also receive 4 calls a day for a couple of weeks to support them until they felt safe and settled, and happy to be in Tavistock court.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

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 be independent and do tasks for themselves which made them feel valued and useful. One person told us, “Being able to do things is very important to me. I like being independent and since I’ve been here, I’ve enjoyed doing things I couldn’t before.”

People confirmed they were encouraged and supported to be involved in the care planning process and encouraged to make choices about their care, ensuring their independence was maintained. One person spoke about how the staff had supported them to go out into the town independently. They said, "The carers have been brilliant at supporting me. They encourage me to do as much as I can. They give me the freedom to make my own decisions and choices.” Another person told us, “I have a lot of mobility issues, but the carers are very good at making sure I keep as independent as I can. They always encourage me to do what I am able and if I’m having a bad day they don’t mind if I ask them to do it.”

Staff told us they supported people to be independent and encouraged people to do as much as they could for themselves. One member of staff said, “We always try to encourage residents to do as much as they can for themselves. If they want to try something new, we will always support them.”

Staff had a good understanding of protecting and respecting people's human rights ensuring they were able to make decisions about their care, treatment, and wellbeing. One staff member told us, “If any decisions need to be made about a residents care we always involve them and any people important to them. They have the final say in what they want or don’t want. It’s important to build trusting relationships so the residents know they can rely on us to do our best for them.”

People’s communication needs were assessed before a care package commenced to ensure they were fully supported to understand their rights and able to make decisions about their care. Care plans contained up to date information about people’s needs including their choices and preferences. They contained information for staff guidance to promote people’s independence in areas such as mobility and managing their medicines. People were supported to ensure their voice was heard using independent advocates if that was required. An advocate is an independent person who can provide a voice to people who otherwise may find it difficult to speak up. The service could provide people with information about advocacy services if they needed it.

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.

People told us the staff were very knowledgeable and knew how to support them. One person said, “The staff know me very well and they know if I am feeling under the weather or if I am unhappy. They will call the doctor or get me to hospital if I’m unwell. They have done it before. I was very unwell a while ago, and they called an ambulance for me. I’m very glad they did because I didn’t realise I was as ill as I was, but the carers knew.”

There had been a recent outbreak of bed bugs at the service and everyone we spoke with complimented the care staff on how supportive they had been and how they had gone over and above to make sure people felt comfortable in their own homes. One person told us, “It has been very upsetting, but the carers have been wonderful. They have tried to do everything in their power to sort out the problem and they have always let us know what is happening. Thankfully I think we are almost over it now.”

There had been a recent infestation of bed bugs at the services and people had been very distressed about the situation. The care staff supported people through the difficult and distressing situation. For example, staff supported 1 person to move from their flat to the guest room and provided ongoing support. Staff reassured people daily and communicated what was being done to remedy the situation. Staff put together a plan to ensure support was available and accessible such as staff from the housing provider. Care staff were provided with full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when entering every flat and ensured all washing was completed in line with guidance to prevent the spread of the bed bugs.

Staff told us that as part of the induction training and refresher training, they covered areas to support people in an emergency. For example, staff completed training in fire safety, food safety, the safe administration of medicines and emergency first aid. One member of staff commented, “The training has given me confidence to deal with an emergency and there is always support from other staff and managers.” This meant that staff were well trained and fully prepared to recognise when people needed urgent help or support.

We did not look at Workforce wellbeing and enablement during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.