Weald Heights

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

Staff considered people’s well-being to be paramount at Weald Heights. Staff took time to really get to know people so that care could be tailored to their individual needs. This included robust risk assessing so that people could be encouraged to remain as independent as possible. People had choice and control over their lives. Staff had an extensive understanding of the mental capacity act (MCA) and applied its principles in all their practice to minimise any restrictions on people. There were robust policies and procedures in place for staff to follow to ensure care was delivered in a person-centred way. We observed warm, friendly and kind interactions between staff and people. The home had lifestyle coaches who developed an activities calendar in line with people’s needs and wishes. Care plans had detailed life histories, likes and dislikes so care could be shaped around these. This included activities such as taking a person, who was an ex-RAF pilot, to fly in a spitfire.

This service scored 80 (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.

People were supported by kind, caring staff who went above and beyond to ensure people’s needs were met. People were treated as individuals, staff understood their personalities, likes and dislikes, and care was tailored to meet these needs. People’s independence was encouraged and supported whenever safe to do so. People had choice and control over their own care and treatment. One person told us, “We are offered choices. Yesterday I had to go to an appointment and because I would be away at lunch time chef made a picnic with enough for two so my son and I could share”. People’s wellbeing was paramount and there was a holistic approach to supporting people’s mental and physical health needs. Relatives were involved where appropriate and spoke highly of staff. One stated, “There are wonderful activities arranged every day and great care is taken to look after the individual needs for the wellbeing of each individual resident. [Person] enjoys every activity. Some are more reserved but are still treated with great respect.” Another added, “The activities are outstanding. [Person] has been to the local pub, wildlife reserve and the seaside to name but a few outings and they haven’t been there long. The activity ladies are amazing, so full of energy and happy in their job. I can honestly say that we feel part of a big family.” Lifestyle coaches arranged imaginative activities to creatively meet the needs of different people. For example, trips were arranged based on individuals’ interests, history and choices. There was a ‘wishing tree’ at the home entrance, where people could express wishes and dreams, they have. Trips that had taken place included flying in a spitfire plane for a person who used to be a pilot in the RAF, a visit to a school where a person used to go when they were a child and a trip to a village where a famous author lived as a person living at the home was a writer.

Staff were confident and knowledgeable about people's choices, preferences and how to best promote their independence. Staff were well-informed about the Mental Capacity Act, what consent and best interest was and how to support people with making choices. Staff knew people well and this was evident in our discussions with them, along with viewing activity books, daily logs, care plans and observing staff and people interactions. Staff were able to describe people's daily routines and how they supported them to make daily choices, from what they would like to wear each day, what they would like to eat, how they would like to spend their time and who they would like to spend their time with. One staff member said they got to know people and tried to support them to build relationships within the home, this included learning people's interests and life history to try and match these interests with other people in the communal areas. This was observed at lunchtime with a table of gentleman deep in conversation throughout lunch about shared interests. The chef advised that when people moved into the home, they would go to meet with them to find out their preferences and dietary requirements so that they could offer the most suitable food. They offered an extensive range of options and accommodated relatives for meals as well.

Staff were observed supporting people and clearly knew people well. Interactions between staff and people were positive and kind. There was a relaxed, homely, welcoming atmosphere throughout the home. We saw staff chatting to people, and people responded positively with a smile and light-hearted conversation. When people were anxious or upset, staff responded quickly and with kindness and compassion. For example, an interaction was observed between a staff member and person, the person was getting very anxious, and the staff member began to tell them a story about trying to catch a mouse whilst another staff member went to get a wheelchair. The staff made the person feel at ease and the person was able to sit in the wheelchair for lunch, which was their preference. The situation was handled well as the staff members knew the best way to support this person and with their quick response and support had prevented a possible fall. Staff welcomed visitors and knew relatives well. Relatives told us staff were very kind.

People were empowered by the provider's policies and procedures that drove the person-centred ethos of the home. Care plans were extensively detailed and gave staff the information and tools they needed to provide care that promoted and encouraged people to remain independent wherever possible. Personalised risk assessments were in place to enable people to make choices and have control over how they how they lived their lives, whilst managing care requirements to keep them safe. People’s needs and behaviours were regularly reviewed, and equipment was provided to support people. Ways to reduce people’s anxiety were explored. For example, one person who experienced anxiety had noise cancelling headphones if they needed time to relax. There was a daily Namaste group held as well as cognitive stimulation therapy sessions used to improve cognition and communication. Activities were planned in advance and there were 4 lifestyle coaches who supported this. The lifestyle coaches got to know each person and tailored the activities to meet their preferences. People who stayed in their rooms were visited by the lifestyle coaches and on weekends the namaste coaches would visit people’s rooms and do sessions there. Care plans included clear documentation around people’s choices. For example, one person preferred not to use the call bell and declined to have sensor equipment in their room. There was a capacity assessment for these decisions, and they had capacity to make this choice which was honoured by staff. Visitors were in and out throughout the day and there were several areas where people could go with their relatives such as their bedrooms, the lounge/dining areas, the café, the cinema, the library and the new outside area, plus seating areas around the home.

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.