Creedy House

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

People were not always treated with respect and kindness. For example, we observed a staff member waking up a person by putting on their apron without explaining what was happening or giving them time to adjust to being woken up. This was an area for improvement. However, we did see positive interaction as well. People’s cultural and religious needs were not always respected, we reported this to the registered manager who made changes to ensure people’s religious needs were better met. The provider had systems and processes in place to promote and support staff wellbeing. Staff gave us mixed views about the support they received. We assessed a limited number of quality statements in the caring key question and found areas of good practice and concern. The scores for these areas have been combined with scores based on the rating from the last inspection, which was good. Though the assessment of these areas indicated areas of concern since the last inspection, our rating for the key question remains good.

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.

People gave us positive views. Comments included, “They are really lovely, kind, understanding and helpful. If I ask for a drink, they will get me one instantly. I like to keep my door open, they will say hello before they come in”; “Kind, caring, no problems. I have my door open all the time, but they will ask if they can come in. I do tell them there is no need to ask but they still do it”; “I like them all” and “They are all very nice.” Relatives said, “They are kind, caring and understanding” and “They are kind, approachable and welcoming.”

Staff detailed how they treated people with kindness and compassion. A staff member said, “When providing care, I knock on the door and greet people before entering, some residents may reply. I approach and explain what I am going to do.” Other staff said, “When doing personal care I knock on the door, tell them who I am, ask if they are ok and explain options. Give choice of clothing, close doors and curtains and cover people when I am washing different areas. We talk throughout and make them feel comfortable” and “I give choices and hold things up like clothes, I close doors and wait for a response before entering. There are a couple of people who have preferences on gender of staff whether that is male only or female only staff. It is also documented on the care plan.” What staff told us they would do to maintain dignity is what we always observed in practice. The registered manager said, “The staff here are kind, and I observe this every day. I also get positive feedback from visitors, relatives and attending health care professionals. I communicate a lot with families by email and phone, and value their feedback. Some people don’t have families, sadly. We invite relatives and neighbours to our garden parties, and these have been enjoyed by the residents and staff.”

Healthcare professionals told us staff treated people with kindness, dignity and respect. A healthcare professional said, “They do treat their clients with dignity and respect.”

We observed people were not always treated with respect and kindness. We observed a staff member waking up a person by putting on their apron without explaining what was happening or giving them time to adjust to being woken up. We also observed some staff standing over people to support them with their meals. However, we did see positive interaction as well. Staff were visible and accessible throughout our visit and spent time engaging with people and their visitors. Staff interaction with people was friendly and personalised. Staff generally anticipated people’s needs such as support with eating and drinking and support with their continence. Staff spoke with people at eye level and used respectful language, giving people time to respond to them. For example, with the activity they wanted to do or where they wanted to sit. Staff were observed encouraging people to engage and participate in activities, such as, art (painting hedgehogs) or playing with large building blocks, or discussing what was on the TV. Staff were observed sharing affectionate gestures with people, for example, putting their arms around a person or holding their hand, especially when giving emotional care and reassurance. There was a relaxed atmosphere within the service. We observed doors to people’s rooms were closed when people were being supported with their personal care needs. Staff knocked on doors before entering.

People told us they were treated well. Comments included, “I feel secure”; “I like the people the staff. They are nice”; “I am very comfortable, as I know the people.” Relatives said, “Everyone’s friendly. Mum seems happy enough. She has a nice room”; “They are all friendly. It's a nice, relaxed place”; “They all seem very nice. They make sure she is alright. They do have activities here that she is enjoying. She has done a painting” and “It’s kind, it’s thoughtful, it’s focused on the individual and everybody is incredibly approachable from the top down. They go the extra mile.” Although people's views were positive about being treated well and with kindness, some people had not been treated this way. We have provided more detail about this in kindness, compassion and dignity.

The management team gave us examples of how staff worked with people and their relatives to explore their cultural and religious needs as well as their likes, dislikes, wants and needs. Some staff told us people’s religious needs were not always met. A staff member said, “We used to have a small service and a vicar or priest used to come. We no longer have this, they only get a vicar or priest if they are at end of life and they are being read their last rights. [Person] really enjoys church services and he is now missing out, he was really poorly a little while ago and he started getting visits from the priest and when he got a bit better this has stopped again.” Another staff member told us, “We used to have a church service. Residents can have visits from clergy but it would rely on them asking for it.”

We observed times of the day where staff supported people to help around the service, a person wanted to be involved in clearing rubbish and carrying boxes that had been delivered and staff enabled and encouraged this. People were supported to help do day to day tasks such as clearing the table after a meal.

People’s care plans included likes, dislikes and preferences, including their preference to be supported by male or female staff. People’s religious and cultural needs were documented. However, people’s religious needs were not always respected and listened to. For example, several people had specific religious needs and enjoyed church services. There were no church services taking place. We reported this to the management team who made contact with the Anna Chaplaincy. Anna Chaplaincy is a ministry undertaken by volunteers in the community to provide support to older people in the community. Arrangements were made to put in place regular visits and a Christmas service.

We did not look at Independence, choice and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Responding to people’s immediate needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

Staff gave us mixed feedback about their support, including wellbeing support they received from the management team and the provider. A staff member said, “I feel supported because of team work and the manager.” Several other staff commented they did not feel supported by the registered manager or the nursing staff. Other staff comments included, “My wellbeing is supported by having a good working environment and regular staff meetings”; “Nothing is in place to support my wellbeing because it’s not high on anyone’s agenda” and “We have access to [discount scheme available to the health and care sector] we have to sort this ourselves, we have a pension scheme but there are no other staff care packages that I’m aware of.”

The provider had systems and processes in place to promote and support staff wellbeing. The registered manager detailed ‘We have concentrated on staff retention and absence in the last year, and have introduced incentives for attendance, which has worked well. Staff work across the home and skill mix is considered within this. Within our dementia unit 'The Lodge' senior care staff are permanently placed there as residents with dementia relate and feel comforted by familiar faces and environments. Skill mix, the layout of the home, resident preferences and accessibility are all taken into account when calculating dependency and staff allocation.’ The registered manager detailed how staff are supported with personal issues through their human resources provider. The registered manager told us that the HR support had increased and staff had utilised the system since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.