Folkestone Nursing 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

People told us staff were caring and that they were treated with dignity and respect, and we observed this to be the case People were supported to be independent and to make choices about the care and support they received. There was some provision for activities, although this was limited and something the manager told us they wanted to improve upon and develop.

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.

People and relatives told us they were happy with the care provided and that they were treated well. 1 person said, “They are all kind to me. I can’t walk so feel a bit vulnerable. They give me confidence.” Another person said, “The carers are really nice to me. In fact, I would say they are wonderful. They always call me by my name, which makes me feel I am a real person to them that matters.” While a third person told us, “The carers are so friendly. They chat to me, which is nice and makes me feel valued. They listen to what I say. They are patient with everyone here.” A relative said, “I think my [relative] gets very good care. Since [manager] started its so much more homely and friendly. It seems a more welcoming place.” The same staff member added, “They do go and sit with [person, who was bed bound]. They put on music and do silyl dances, they do interact with them.”

Staff told us how they supported people in a dignified way. A staff member said, “Before we enter their room we will knock, tell them why we are there, ask their permission. The curtains and doors will be closed.

We noted there were many examples of kindness shown by carers to service users, as for example, when a person showed distress, the carer was straight across to check what the problem was. Carers gave time to talk to service users, not just to help and leave. They called them by name, smiled and were friendly towards all of the people living in the home.

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 told us they were supported to be as independent as possible. One person said, “I am independent to a degree, so I don’t use my call bell. I shave myself and also choose my own clothes.” Another person said, “They encourage me to do what I can for myself.” A third person said, “I choose my own clothes and I have a sense of my own independence.” They added, “The food is so lovely that I’m putting on a bit of weight. You get a choice and if you didn’t like what was on offer, they would find something else. They know I don’t like beans, so they make sure they don’t give me them."

The Manager told us how they checked to see that people were given choices. They told us how activities were allocated, making sure people had routines. They talked about outings to the park and into the home’s garden. Staff were aware of the importance of promoting independence, choice and control. A member of staff said, “First, we have to ask the resident if they want care. If we have to move them we have to communicate with them what we are going to do.” The same staff member added, “We have to give them choices, for the food, the activities. If they can’t talk, we can show them pictures, say of chicken or pie, so they can decide.” However, on both days of our visit we did not see many activities planned despite an activity planner on the noticeboard in the hallway. The provider told us that they acknowledged that there needs to be more and that they intend to employ an activity co-ordinator in the near future.

During our visit to the home we observed people being served lunch. We saw people being encouraged to eat with support offered when required. We saw people pouring themselves drinks and taking their plates to a food trolley when they had finished. We saw choices such as food and drinks offered during the mealtime as well as choices of where a people wanted to be, either in the lounge or in their room.

People were supported to be independent and to have choices and control. For example, there was a choice of meals, and people were asked before each meal what their preference was. Staff explained to us how they offered people choices, for example about what they wore. They also told us how they promoted people’s independence, by supporting people to do for themselves what they were able to.

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.