Aberford Hall

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

At our last inspection we rated this key question good. At this assessment, the rating remains unchanged. People had choice and control over how they spent their time. People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them. We observed positive interactions, from kind and caring staff.

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.

We did not look at Kindness, compassion and dignity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

Overall, people and their relatives gave mostly positive feedback about access to social and leisure activities, and meaningful occupation. Comments included, “I can do what I like. I can go to bed now if I wanted to” and “You can do what you want within the confines of your room. I like to stay in my room, it’s my choice. I can decide what I want, if I want to bath or a shower. The hairdresser comes every Monday.” However, 1 person said that some staff could be abrupt, but they did not want to share any further information regarding this. We shared this with the registered manager at feedback. Family members and friends were welcomed to the service and able to join in with activities. A family member said, “There is a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere and staff are light-hearted, it’s like a family. The kitchen and laundry staff chat to people and always engage. When they do my relative’s face lights up. They have the cat, and I bring him up and he sits on the bed. My relative likes it and strokes it. The residents like him too.”

People’s independence was promoted so that they could achieve their goals and aspirations. The registered manager gave us examples of where there had been positive outcomes for people. For example, 1 person who had come into the home with a pressure wound had received treatment that had improved their skin integrity. Another person had come into the home underweight and had gradually put on weight. A staff member told us, “We work with people to ensure they are able to do as much as they can for themselves.” Some people had access to activities and the local community, to promote and support their independence, health and wellbeing. We also saw photographs of people and family members engaging in outings, activities and celebrations.

We saw people choosing where they wanted to be and what they wanted to do. For example, on the day of our assessment, people were enjoying a game of hangman whilst others were involved in a game of hoops with the wellbeing coordinator. One person told us, “The staff are nice and they bring a lot of people to the lounge and there are lots of activities they like to join in. They had a singer here and you see people who don’t normally speak joining in and waving their hands. I love it here.” We observed the activities and people seem engaged and happy to be involved. One person we spoke with expressed their joy of looking forward to getting involved in the activities later that afternoon. We also observed the lunch time experience, and found the home had appropriate decors that suit the environment. We saw a menu published in the dining areas and a picture choice of food displayed in the lounge. Staff told us they can adjust the menu according to people’s preferences. Food looked appetising and well presented. There were good conversations and interactions with people, taking place throughout the day. We observed staff having interactions and chats that were friendly and respectful. People were treated as individuals, staff were engaging and interacting. A staff member told us, “There are lots of activities going on. People are encouraged to be involved; we are always trying new things.” We noted that there were resources in place to support people with dementia and there were sufficient staff supervising during the activities.

People's care plans provided information about their social and leisure interests, what they enjoyed doing and the support they needed to participate. Staff recorded their contact with people, however this lacked detail including what had worked well and not worked well and how people had responded to activities. There was a range of appropriate equipment such as frames, wheelchairs, walking sticks and hoists to support and maximise people’s independence. People were using equipment appropriately and staff supported them with appropriate moving and handling skills.

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.

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.