Edward 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

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.

Staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. One person said, “They’re all very good, very kind and understanding.” One relative said, “Every time we visit, we are welcomed with genuine smiles and pleasure and always with an offer of a cup of tea.” Another relative said, “Not only do the home support and care for our (family member) very well but have given us a lot of support and much kindness through some difficult times.” People and their relatives stated that carers knew them and their needs. Our conversations with staff confirmed this. Staff spoke about the people they were caring for with compassion and respect.

People were treated as individuals by staff who took time to get to know them and understand them. Staff made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Feedback from people and their loved ones confirmed that they were treated equally, and with respect. One relative said, “Its lovely here. They're marvellous with her.”

The service promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People were involved in the initial assessments of the care they needed, and confirmed that staff offered choices, and asked permission during daily support provision. One staff member said, “To promote independence, we give people chance to do things themselves. Even if they are slow with Zimmer frame, we don’t use shortcuts. We encourage them to do personal care themselves.” People were supported to engage in activities in the community or at home. People were generally happy with the activities staff supported them with. One person said, “They try to keep people active. They go out in small groups. They go out for lunch. There’s skittles and everyone gets involved, otherwise you’d just be sitting in a seat. I can’t go outside on my own, I ask someone to go with me and the [activities coordinator] takes me for a walk.” One relative said, “The activities provided for the residents are varied and interesting. We have joined in some and really enjoyed them.” Care plans, and people told us of equipment they used, and carers used, to facilitate their care and aid mobility. Equipment was made available to them by staff such as walking aids and moving equipment that was used safely and appropriately by staff.

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. Feedback from people and relatives confirmed that carers were responsive to their needs. One person said, “I’m very well cared for.” One relative said, “The staff have got to know (loved one) very well and understand how to best meet her needs.” Another relative said, “The staff are so friendly and courteous and very approachable if we need anything.” One professional described how responsive staff were to people’s needs. They said, “The staff care about their residents and have a low threshold for reporting any changes to us if they have concerns. Due to being a residential home they do require district nurse support for delivering many aspects of patient care and they are quick to ask district nurses when they need something as well.”

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff had opportunities to feedback their concerns and any issues and informed us that they could do so freely. Staff received regular supervisions and benefited from these. People were supported by staff who felt valued by their leaders, and who recognised the diversity and needs of the workforce. One staff member with religious needs was supported with workplace adjustments to allow them to pray when they wanted to. Staff who required flexible working due to childcare commitments were supported fully. One staff member described raising difficulties they were having with health issues and how management supported them to adjust their working hours. One staff member who suffered a personal loss said, “My manager bought me a plant. They said this was to show that they were thinking of me. The support is there and if you need it, she will give it to you.”