Yarrow Housing Limited - 1-2 Elmfield Way

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, dignity and respect. At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this inspection the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

Staff saw people as their equals and created a warm and inclusive atmosphere. People were well matched with their designated support worker(s) and as a result, people were at ease, happy, engaged and stimulated. People received kind and compassionate care from staff who used positive, respectful language which people understood and responded well to. People felt listened to and valued by staff. People were given time to listen, process information and respond to staff and other professionals. Staff supported people to express their views using their preferred method of communication. Staff took the time to understand people’s individual communication styles and develop a rapport with them. People were enabled to make choices for themselves and staff ensured they had the information they needed. Staff respected people’s choices and wherever possible, accommodated their wishes, including those relevant to protected characteristics e.g. due to cultural or religious preferences.

We did not assess all the quality statements within this key question, as we did not identify concerns relating to those areas which we judged as being met at our last inspection.

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.

Only one person living in the home was able to tell us directly whether they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity. This person said that staff were always there when you needed them. They said staff were very kind and supportive and helped them achieve what they wanted to do. They also told us that staff respected people and promoted their privacy and dignity.

One person’s relative told us how staff understood when their loved one started to become elevated and quickly supported them to relax. They said, “They [staff] are very good with [name].”

Staff and the management team told us that people and their support needs came first and people were always treated with kindness and respect. Staff said it was important to understand people’s preferences, personal histories and networks of family and friends. They explained that properly understanding these aspects for people, helped them communicate better and also be more responsive to their needs.

Information from a recent quality monitoring visit stated, “The care staff at the service are approachable, friendly and open. They also respond to the service users efficiently.”

We observed staff supporting people and delivering care in a kind, respectful and patient way. We also saw that they gave people the opportunity and time to make their own decisions.

Only one person living in the home was able to tell us directly about their experience of living in the home. This person confirmed that staff respected them and treated them as an individual. They said that they knew the staff well and the staff knew them well. They said they enjoyed living in the home, although they were looking forward to when they would move into supported living, where they would be more independent.

A person’s relative said their loved one’s individuality was respected. They went on to explain how the staff understood the person’s routines and provided personalised care to support the person with these.

Staff and the management team told us they recognised and respected each person as a unique individual. They said they understood people’s personal preferences and needs, and this was confirmed by our observations of the care and support provided.

During our visit, we found the home had a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, which the people living there enjoyed. We saw that staff had a calm and friendly approach towards people and met their needs in a skilful and patient way. This assured us that staff knew people well and fully understood their needs and preferences. We saw that people’s individual communication needs were met, which enabled them to engage in their care, treatment and support and helped maximise their experiences and outcomes.

The provider had effective systems and processes in place, which helped ensure that people’s individual needs and preferences were understood and met. We saw these were regularly reviewed and updated and included personal, cultural, social and religious needs. This helped enable staff to treat people as individuals and consider any relevant protected equality characteristics.

One person told us staff helped them to maintain their independence. They said that staff supported them by explaining the choices they had, which helped them make their own decisions. This person said they regularly went out into the local community and also did the weekly food shopping with staff. They said they made decisions about the meals they wished to eat and told us they were going out to buy their lunch from the supermarket on the day of our visit.

A person’s relative told us that staff supported their loved one to make choices and maintain their independence. This person said, “[Name] has got a new car actually. They [staff] take them to the supermarket and they go to the park now and again. [Name] comes to visit us every Monday; 2 carers bring them and take them back home.”

Staff and the management team said they worked hard to ensure people were supported to maintain relationships and networks, enhance their independence and have control over their lives as much as possible. They gave examples of 1 person who had their own car, in which staff regularly drove them to visit their family. Staff said they encouraged people to take part in meal preparation and do the weekly food shopping. They said they also had meetings with people, so they could decide what meals they wanted to eat.

We saw that staff supported people in a positive and empowering way and encouraged them to do as much for themselves as possible. During our visit, we observed 1 person going out to buy lunch from a supermarket, another person went to visit their family and a further person went swimming.

The provider had effective systems and processes in place to help make sure people had choices, could make decisions and have control over their own lives as much as possible. People’s care plans included individual goals and details of how they wanted to be supported. People living in the home and their relatives were actively involved in compiling the care plans, and the regular reviews helped make sure people’s preferences, needs and goals remained up to date and relevant.

One person told us that staff were always available whenever they needed them. A person’s relative told us that staff understood, and responded well to, their loved one’s needs. They said, “They’ve taught [name] a lot; [name]’s speech has really got better. It’s not a running conversation but [name] can make themselves understood.”

Staff and the management team told us that people’s needs, views, wishes and comfort were really important to them. They said they remained alert to people’s body language and vocalisation and understood when people needed something, to which they always responded promptly. Staff said they considered the people living in the home as ‘an extension of their own families’.

Staff were alert to people’s needs and we saw they responded quickly and effectively. They engaged people whilst responding and, where necessary, provided reassurance and helped calm them.

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.