Astor Lodge

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.

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.

Staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. A person told us, “Staff are casual and polite, they come to my door on a regular basis, and ask if I am ok, they make sure that all I need is on hand.” Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. A health care professional told us, “All the staff on the unit are friendly and approachable. They are welcoming on arrival and willing to support and have a kind and caring approach to patients.” People, and relative’s comments included, “Staff are kind” and “Staff are very patient, they know what they are doing.”

Staff at the service treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. A person commented, “Staff help me with the shower, and I have had a bath in an electric bath it was a lovely experience.” Staff took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Staff had received training in equality and diversity to emphasise the importance of treating people as unique individuals with different and diverse needs. A relative told us, “They know [Name], they speak to them as a human being.”

Staff promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People's independence was promoted, and they chose how they spent their time. People’s comments included, “They do as much as they can, physiotherapy has been very helpful” and “Staff have trained me to walk again, I do my exercises.”

Staff listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. They responded to people’s needs and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. A person told us, “Staff, encourage you, they are there if you need them.” However, some people and relatives commented people had to wait for assistance. A relative commented, “There have been times on an evening when there have not been enough staff. You hear the alarm going off a lot for a long time, it is irritating.”

The provider cared about and promoted the well-being of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The organisation and the workplace had initiatives in place to support workforce development and retention which was consistent and resulted in upskilling staff and supporting staff well-being. Staff had access to several policies relating to promoting and ensuring their well-being. Staff told us they felt valued and supported by the management team. They all commented they were encouraged to voice their opinions, ideas and suggestions. Their comments included, “We have regular monthly meetings” and “We get good support from the manager.”