Lowdell Close

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. This is the first inspection for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

People were treated with kindness and compassion. The staff communicated using calm, dignified and gentle interactions. They were responsive to people when they expressed a need, and they respected people’s privacy, dignity and choices.

People were treated as individuals, pursuing different activities and hobbies.

People were supported to be independent where they were able and to do things for themselves.

Staff were well supported. They told us they had good relationships with the manager and each other. They felt able to discuss their individual needs and were supported to develop their skills.

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 were treated with kindness and respect. We observed polite and considerate interactions. Staff knew how to communicate with each person and did this in a natural way. Staff were positive, happy and made regular checks on people’s wellbeing and happiness. When people showed signs of distress staff responded appropriately. People’s relatives confirmed staff were always kind and caring with comments which included, “They are very kind’’, “The staff treat [person] and us with respect’’ and “The staff are a smiley bunch.’’

People were treated as individuals. People at the service took part in individual activities and spent their time in ways which reflected their needs and preferences. There was a sense of community, but people were able to pursue their own individual interests. Staff supported people to access the things they needed and wanted. People spent time where they wanted within the home. Care plans reflected people’s individual needs and interests.

The staff offered people choices. They communicated these using words, pictures, touch and objects of reference. Choices were presented in ways that each person understood. We saw staff respecting these.

People were supported to be independent when they were able. For example, some people used specialist equipment to help them eat and drink independently. One person was able to move around the service independently and we saw staff encourage them to use the lift and access the toilet on their own. People were involved when staff prepared food, spending time in the kitchen and completing tasks when they were able to. Staff praised people when they achieved things and gave people time to make choices and be in control.

People took part in a range of different leisure activities. Staff encouraged people to paint and participate in craft activities. Their artwork was saved in individual folders along with photographs of different events which had happened at the service, such as parties and visiting entertainers. The registered manager told us they had developed the sensory room at the service to reflect people’s interests and to encourage people who were able to access this independently. For example, placing items at the right height for people to touch and see. People’s relatives told us the staff supported them to take part in different activities. Their comments included, “he staff make a fuss of everyone on special occasions’’ and ‘’The staff tried to make sure there is a variety of things to do each day.’’

Staff responded to people’s immediate needs. The staff were familiar with people’s needs and explained how they recognised signs of pain and distress for some people who could not use words to communicate. During our visit, 1 person expressed pain, and the staff were quick to respond offering comfort and appropriate medicines. When people requested information or needed support with an activity, staff gave them prompt attention. They were patient, kind and supported people to understand their needs were a priority. For example, 1 person repeatedly asked staff the same question. The staff responded positively and appropriately each time and did not dismiss the person’s need to assure themselves of the information.

The provider had systems to support staff wellbeing. The staff told us they felt well supported and had good relationships with the registered manager and each other. They were well informed and shared their experiences in order to learn from one another. Permanent employees were given additional roles, including supporting and supervising others in their work. The agency staff explained they felt part of the team and received the support they needed. There were regular meetings for staff teams and individuals to discuss their work. The registered manager also worked alongside staff, demonstrating good practice and being available to answer queries. We saw examples of this and staff confirmed this was always the case.