Herondale

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 had opportunities to be independent and given choice and control in their lives. Staff treated people with kindness, encouragement and compassion. People’s capacity to make decisions had been assessed and legal processes were in place to protect their rights. People’s dignity was not always respected to have clean and hygienic facilities within the service.

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.

People’s dignity was not always respected as they did not have clean and hygienic bathroom facilities available to an acceptable standard. People confirmed they used the showers when they wanted. People could come and go as they liked, and staff were attentive when people needed them.

Staff confirmed to us that they all shared the cleaning duties and signed the daily sheet to say these had been completed. The registered manager also confirmed they had completed monthly safety and quality audits to ensure the premises were clean and safe to use. The staff team’s lack of awareness of how dirty parts of the premises were did not assure us they respected and valued people’s right to access clean and respectable facilities.

Professionals were positive about how the staff worked with and supported people in their care. A professional said, “The staff have a good understanding of [person’s name] needs and support them accordingly. I find the staff helpful whenever I visit. [Person’s name] is very well looked after by the care home.”

People were comfortable around the staff. Staff and the registered knew people well and were kind and approachable. They spoke about people in a familiar way describing events in the past with humour and pride.

Staff treated people as individuals and knew their needs and personalities. Staff engaged with people to find out what they wanted and what choices to make. They had a clear and friendly conversation style and used humour appropriately. A person said, “Staff are kind to me and help me out.” A family member told us, “The staff are quite uplifting really and very down to earth and easy to talk too.“

Staff supported people in different and individual ways. They gave people space to do what they wanted but were in the background should they be needed. Staff had sensitivity and compassion for people and understood their need to process difficult situations and their future plans.

People’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood and met.

People’s protected characteristics were recorded, and their pronouns added to their care plans and daily notes. This ensured people’s rights and freedoms to be themselves were upheld. People’s communication needs were met as staff enabled them to engage in their care, treatment and support, for example helping them to understand appointments and documents to maximise their experience and outcomes.

People’s independence was promoted. A person said, “I have not been out for a walk lately, I am worried I might fall over.” People who used mobility equipment were independent in the service and assisted as required. A family member said, “The staff are good about helping people remain independent and doing things for themselves.” People had access to social and leisure activities in the service and in the local community to promote and support their independence, health and wellbeing. A few people accessed the community independently and used public transport to get themselves to places of interest. Staff were able to take people out one to one as needed. Birthdays and special events were celebrated.

Staff knew and understood people, including their preferences, wishes, personal histories, backgrounds and potential. This helped people to be comfortable and be themselves. Staff responded to people’s needs quickly and efficiently which helped them manage any distress or anxiety. The registered manager told us, “I have crafts in my room and a space where people can come and chat and relax. There is a list on the door of the things people can do on different days and I take time out to do them with people; or they can come in to me, sit and relax and talk whenever they want to.” People were supported to maintain relationships and had access to their families and friends. People had visitors to the service and families were actively encouraged to visit. There were no restrictions on visiting. Where people had family members, they were able to visit their relatives at the service as well as go out swimming, shopping, coffee and lunch. A person said, “I am very happy here, we do all sorts of things my [relative] and me.”

We observed staff listening and communicating appropriately, in a way people could understand. Staff and people were comfortable with each other and staff were positive and warm in their responses to people’s conversation and requests.

The provider was not always caring and considerate in their processing of issues and concerns. They had not supported people in maintaining their independence as they had not dealt with the unclean and inadequate bathing facilities, they expected people to use. Processes did not place people at the heart of the service as the provider had not been proactive in gaining people’s views and experiences and addressing the ongoing issues people faced living at Herondale.

People’s needs, views, and wishes were known by the staff and anticipated. Staff responded in such a way as to help people avoid any preventable concern or distress. For example, people went to the office at certain times of the day and expected staff to respond to their requests, which they did.

Staff were alert to people’s needs and took time to observe, communicate and engage people in discussions and conversations. Staff responded in the most appropriate way to respect people’s wishes.

Staff quickly recognised when people needed support and used appropriate forms of words to assist them. We saw active communication and engagement around lunch time and people’s needs and choices being met.

Staff told us they were supported by the provider who had taken over the service last year. A staff member told us, “[Registered manager’s name] has settled into the role and is doing okay, we all work well together.” People were supported by staff who felt valued by their leaders and their colleagues. They had a sense of belonging and the ability to contribute to decision making.

Processes were in place to recognise and meet the wellbeing needs of staff. These included rota arrangements which met staff’s work life balance and the needs of people who used the service. Supervision, team meetings and daily communication enabled staff to share their views and experiences of their role and responsibilities.