Lyndhurst House

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 were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. Their privacy and dignity were respected. People’s wishes were valued, and their choices respected because the service was passionate about achieving the best possible outcomes for them. This included supporting people to live as independently as possible and to maintain important relationships. People told us they took part in daily living activities to promote their independence.

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 their relatives told us that they were treated with respect and kindness. People communicated that the staff were very kind and friendly. Relatives told us, “The staff love him and all the residents to bits, you can see it on everyone’s faces.” Another said, “The staff have become our friends, our second family. They put our son and us at ease, and we have a laugh together; it remains professional but very kind, I think the company only takes on people who are loving.” Another said, “The staff are wonderful, in fact, we have employed 2 staff to take our son on holiday with us for 3 days later this month.”

Staff told us how they treated people with kindness and dignity. A staff member told us, “With personal care, we know their preferences and we give everyone choices, for example, I will still offer people a shower even though I know most people love baths. I do this because anyone can change their mind.” Another staff member told us, “I always ask for their consent and I knock on their door; they choose whether they like the door locked or not. I cover them with a warm towel and keep their curtains closed. Our lady’s bedroom is downstairs, the men are upstairs.”

One health care professional told us, “Lyndhurst staff promote the quality of life of the residents in a respectful manner.”

We observed that staff were friendly and kind towards people and each other, and there was a fun and relaxed atmosphere within the service. We observed doors to people’s bedrooms were closed when people were being supported with personal care, and staff knocked on their doors before entering.

People communicated that they were treated well and were happy at the service. One relative told us, “The staff know exactly how to get the best out of him, and they know what areas he can grow regarding his independence. For example, with cleaning his room and sorting his laundry. This afternoon, staff have sent me a picture of him eating a pot noodle. He chose it, and because he is a gentleman and didn’t want to eat it out of the pot, he asked for a plate, which staff had anticipated, and he looked delighted with himself. Staff always give him plenty of choices, for example, what to wear and do, and all this food and drink.”

Staff and management told us how important it was to treat people as individuals. One staff member told us, “We want people to live their best life, and we are led by them. For example, one person has made up his own sign language to communicate with us and we are getting to understand it because this is how he wants to communicate.”

We observed staff respecting people’s choices and treating people as individuals.

People’s cultural and religious needs were documented in care plans and people were supported to be involved as much or as little as they wished to be in their chosen activities. No one living or working at the service had cultural or religious needs that were not being met.

People were supported to maintain relationships with their friends and families. People gave us positive feedback about the staff and were comfortable in their company, laughing and enjoying themselves. Relatives told us, “If my son wants to see me, he will say a specific word to staff, and they know this means he wants to see me. I am always in and out of the home and the staff include me in everything.

Staff understood the importance of giving each person the dignity, respect and personal space to explore their own sexuality in the privacy of their own room. Staff gave many examples of how they supported people to be as independent as possible and make their own decisions as far as possible. For example, by offering a wide range of menu options and providing support with cooking meals. Staff supported people using hand over hand techniques, reassurance and prompting. The management told us, “We give people choices all the time every day, for example what they want to wear, eat or do that day. They plan their own weekly menus and have their own weekly planners in picture form to help them make their own decisions about everything in their daily life.”

We observed meaningful interactions between staff and people which showed that staff knew people well and knew how to communicate with them. Staff used respectful language when communicating with people and when talking about the people they supported. Staff called people by their preferred names. People proudly showed us their rooms which had had been personalised and contained things that were important to them.

Care plans contained a comprehensive assessment of people’s health and social care routines, what people could do for themselves and when they needed support. Staff described ways they supported people to be independent in the community while maintaining their safety. For example, distracting a person with their favourite music and walking closely with them to prevent them from putting themselves at any risk with traffic.

People communicated that their needs were met by staff who knew them well. Relatives gave us positive feedback, “Staff know our son’s likes/dislikes because he can communicate this and makes his feelings known.” Another relative told us, “They know his personality and what can trigger him, and what makes him happy, All the staff sing from the same hymn sheet, even the new or agency staff, there is no inconsistency in the care.”

The management team told us, “We spend all our time with people and work closely with them, building their confidence and trust. We give people the choices we would want to have, for example choosing their clothing and meals and activities. If someone’s needs change, we inform staff, update their daily log and care plan, update the professionals involved and, if required, introduce additional training.”

We observed staff responding to people's needs in a timely manner and providing discreet, respectful support to people with their personal care needs.

Staff told us they received good support from the management team because they felt supported in their role and confident that any concerns raised would be dealt with quickly. One staff member said, “The management are very kind and understanding and our welfare is as important to them as the on-the-spot checks of our competencies around safeguarding, for example.”

The provider had systems and processes in place to promote and support staff well-being. The provider ensured that staff were supported with their physical health as well as their mental health, and the management team were passionate about staff well-being. If staff needed any support, they were guided to different charities such as the Mental health foundation, Mind, CALM, and were encouraged to self-refer through their GP.