Willett Lodge

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 assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. A relative told us, “When they hoist they put a screen around.” We also observed staff supporting people to move and position using a screen to protect their dignity. We heard staff speaking with people in a kind and calming manner whilst they were being supported during hoisting. The service logged compliments they had received from people and their relatives. A reoccurring theme was in respect of kindness shown by the registered manager and their staff.

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 and/or their relatives completed a ‘my life story’ form, this helped care and activity staff develop a greater understanding of the person and design person-centred activities. For example, a person enjoyed boats, the registered manager arranged a trip to the river for afternoon tea and boat spotting. Another person worked as a florist so staff organised a flower arranging session for them and others who wished to join in. A relative spoke of the activities and said, “[Person] loves them, they have animal petting, a sing song which they join in with and [person] has a plan each month and a meal plan.”

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. We observed staff offering choices to people. Where possible, people were encouraged to retain their independence and control over their everyday lives. A staff member told us, “To encourage independence, we ask if they need our help, if they are struggling offer help again and give a hand. [Person] has limited motor skills, but if they pick up a spoon (to eat) I’m not stopping them. We assist with choices and respect what they say.” The activity schedule included physical, mental and artistic sessions to meet people’s social needs. External entertainers came into the service and people attended community events, such as, a Christmas Carol service at another of the provider’s care homes.

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. Staff attended to people’s requests in a timely manner and pre-empted when they may require support. Staff knew people well. We observed a person who liked to drink plenty of tea being offered tea throughout our assessment, staff knew if they walked with a cup they wanted a drink. The person walked up and down the stairs very frequently and was at risk of weight loss, staff offered regular finger food snacks to maintain the person’s weight.

The service 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 in their role. A staff member commented, “Everything is going amazingly, because of my colleagues, residents and management, everyone is so supportive.” The management team recognised the team’s efforts and gave out vouchers for birthdays and Christmas with personalised cards. Staff received structured supervisions with named line managers but told us they could approach mangers any time they needed support.