St Lukes Care Home

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

The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues with kindness and respect. People received support that was compassionate and personalised. Their support was tailored to their individual needs by staff who knew them well. People were supported in a dignified and respectful way by staff and people told us staff treated them with respect. A person said, “I feel very safe with staff, and I like all of them.” We observed respectful interactions between staff and people. A relative said, “The staff are lovely and treat [family member] with kindness and compassion.”

Staff told us they respected people’s confidentiality and privacy. People were able to lead a private life and staff told us they tried to avoid any unnecessary intrusion into people’s personal space. People could spend time outside of their bedrooms with their visitors, and use other small private spaces in the home and gardens. A staff member said, “We give always ask resident’s for their permission before going into their rooms. We knock first and then close the door and curtains when supporting them.”

The service 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. People’s care plans included their goals and aspirations. This included where they lived, their relationships and other aspects of life. People were supported to work toward and achieve these.

Staff had access to information about people’s culture and background to help get to know them. A staff member said, “I am respectful of everyone and make sure I understand their backgrounds and religion. I give them choice and respect their decisions.” For example, people required support to perform prayers or worship, such as through reading or listening to religious books. Staff knew how and when to support them with this. We saw staff were very attentive with all people in the home. We observed a conversation whereby a person who was non-verbal communicate with a staff member to make a request using sounds. The staff member understood what they wanted and attended to them respectfully, with patience and kindness.

People were able to spend time with others that were important to them, and staff supported people to facilitate and maintain relationships. The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People had choice and control of their care. They and their relatives had positive experiences working with the management team and staff.

Relatives told us staff promoted their family member’s independence and encouraged them to do as much for themselves as they could. For example, some people spent time at day centres and could travel to places with the support of staff. Another person enjoyed walking as they liked to exercise continually both inside and outside of the home and this was accommodated. People liked spending time together in the lounge area but also had the choice to spend time in their own personalised rooms, which were designed to suit their needs. A staff member said, “I support residents with their independence. I respect their choices and decisions and never force them to do anything they do not want to.”

Some people lived some distance from their relatives and where this was the case, staff and managers planned with the person and the people who were important them, how they could facilitate visits or regular contact to support important relationships. A relative said, “The staff are all very accommodating with updates about [family member] and helping with arrangements for visits.” This was important for people’s continued wellbeing and comfort.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. We observed interactions between staff and people and saw these relationships were caring and compassionate, enabling staff to anticipate and meet people’s needs quickly and in ways that reduced and mitigated people’s discomfort and distress. A person was known to feel emotional or distressed from time to time and we noticed staff support them and reassure them. They used techniques to help the person manage their emotions such as through playing soothing sounds, encouraging them to perform their daily prayers and arranging a visit with a relative. Staff spoke with the person patiently with care and sensitivity and we noted the person often responded by smiling. People told us staff were responsive, and listened to them. They told us staff understood their needs and did their best to help them in any way possible.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff said they were well supported by the managers in the service. They told us their welfare and wellbeing was taken seriously. They also told us they were happy working in the home and felt well treated by managers. A staff member said, “The managers are all very good. So helpful and supportive. I thank them and my colleagues for all they have done for me. They have taught me a lot.”