Victoria House Also known as Victoria House North East Limited

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 85 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They 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.

People received their care and support from a service which was entirely flexible and able to respond to individual requests and changes. The provider had introduced a health care companion scheme to help support and reassure people who may be lacking in confidence, regarding medical treatment. For example a person who refused blood tests, they were encouraged supported to achieve this. With the companion scheme a staff member would oversee a person’s health concern from start to finish, this would include accompanying the person to GP initial visits, referrals, treatment, consultations and discharge, to help ensure continuity of care and also helped build trust between the people and staff.

Due to the compassionate support of staff people flourished and enjoyed an excellent quality of life. Staff viewed people as part of their family and they were invited to family celebrations, weddings and parties. If staff were in the area on their day off, they regularly called in to the home and invited any people, if they wanted, to go for a walk with them and their dogs. There were several examples where staff had gone the ‘extra mile’ to support people whether it be to advocate for improved health and treatment for the person or in other aspects of their life.Examples included:During a person’s recent hospital admission, several staff members decided to create a rota to ensure the person had at least 1 visitor every day, including visiting on their days off. This ensured the person had plenty of snacks, drinks, clothing and toiletries. It also safeguarded their mental health. Staff also supported a person when their relative died, they helped them to clear the relative’s property and ensured they got treasured keepsakes. Staff at the service hosted the wake, rather than at a local coffee shop, as most relative’s lived out of area. They also facilitated family members getting changed before and after the service due to their long commute.

Staff treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They 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.

Staff understood their role not just to support people and provide care but to be an enabler with them. They supported people to become responsible in daily decision making in their own lives and to learn new skills, whatever the level of need. 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 were supported to learn skills and to increase their independence, at their pace. For example, a person had learned to travel independently and now enjoyed days out travelling by bus to Newcastle, Durham and the coast. A person was benefiting so much since they had settled into their new placement, they had successfully had their medicines reduced. People were all very well- supported to follow a variety of hobbies and interests. Their comments included, “I am going on holiday to York”, “I am going to the club tonight, I will make a mother’s day card” and “I would like to go to Disneyland with [Name].” People were encouraged to give feedback to develop plans for future activities and events. This helped ensure individual needs and preferences could be met. There were links with local community resources, who visited the service and people also went into the community. A relative told us, “Staff take [Name] away at least 3 times a year and they go all over.” There was a relaxed homely atmosphere. We observed people and staff knew each other well, people appeared relaxed. Staff appeared warm and friendly towards people. There was a camaraderie amongst people and staff and staff shared jokes with some people as they supported them with individual activities. People were encouraged to join in and people's decisions if they chose not to join in were respected.

Staff listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. A relative commented, “Staff know how to deal with [Name]’s down days.” They responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Staff worked calmly and responded to people promptly.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.Staff told us they felt valued and supported by the management team. A staff member commented, “Management are always just a phone call away. I recently had a health scare, and they supported me very well.” Staff all commented they were encouraged to voice their opinions, ideas and suggestions. A staff member told us, “Staff morale is excellent. We are a good team and work really well together.”