Abbeywell Court

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

During our assessment of this key question, we found improvements had been made in how people were cared for. People were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity, and as individuals. People’s immediate needs were met. Systems in place to promote the wellbeing of staff and to enable them to deliver person centred care were effective. Although the provider employed staff who planned, facilitated and coordinated social events and activities, further work was needed to ensure activities were designed to meet people’s individual interests and needs.

This service scored 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

People were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity. One person told us, “I am treated with dignity which makes me feel more comfortable.” One relative told us, “My [Relative] is treated with dignity and respect.”

Staff told us they treat people with kindness, compassion and dignity. One staff member told us, “When supporting people with their personal care, we are sensitive to their privacy and help them to cover. We explain what we are doing at every step.” Another staff member told us, “During personal care, we ensure doors and curtains are closed and that people are covered to provide them dignity. People’s personal appearance is important, and we support them with having a shave or cleaning their nails.” Another staff member told us, “We love our residents dearly and make sure they are cared for properly.”

Professionals visiting the care home told us people were treated with dignity. One professional told us, “People are supported with their personal hygiene and their nails are always clean.” Another professional told us, “When our staff visit the care home, they are always happy with how the care staff respond to the people they support.

We saw staff treating people with kindness and compassion. Where a person presented with distressed behaviours, we observed staff providing compassion and reassurance to help them settle. Where a person required support with a health need, a portable screen was used to give privacy and dignity.

People told us they were treated as individuals. One person told us, “I am unable to use the bath at the moment as I have a bad leg, but I can have a shower when I want one.” Another person told us, “Staff know me and ask what I need help with.” A relative told us, “I have not seen a care plan since [relative] has been here, but I have been asked every month if there is anything I would like to contribute to their care plan.”

Staff treated people as individuals and made sure their care met their needs and preferences, taking into account culture and protected characteristics. One staff member told us, “We know our residents and check on some people more regularly due to their personal care needs.” Another staff member told us, “Some people have religious needs. We arrange for the vicar to come, and they say prayers in the lounge. We have supported people with their food preferences in respect of their religious beliefs.”

Overall, we observed positive interactions between staff and the people they support, however some staff who provided support on a one-to-one basis did not interact with the people they supported. When we fed this back to the management team, they explained they were working with one-to-one staff to improve how they engage with the people they supported.

People were treated as individuals. People’s care plans included information about their cultural and religious needs and their communication preferences. Where people could make their own decisions about their care, this was reflected in their daily records. The provider worked closely with the local church to ensure people’s religious needs were met, where required.

People gave mixed feedback about how much choice and control they have in their care. One person told us, “Staff discuss my care plan with me.” Another person told me, “There are never any activities planned for me”.

Staff told us they promoted people’s independence, choice and control over their own lives. One staff member told us, “If somebody with diabetes lacks capacity but wanted a sugary treat, I would respect their wishes if their blood sugars were fine, and it was safe. If there were issues with their blood sugars, we would have to act in their best interests and keep them safe.” Another staff member told us, “For somebody who requires us to make best interest decisions about their finances, we supported them to purchase an item by showing them different types in a catalogue and they chose which one they preferred. For another more expensive item, we made a best interest decision to use something we already had in the care home which they appreciated.”

The provider needed to make improvements in the provision of personalised one-to-one and group activities. During our assessment, a planned outdoor activity was cancelled due to the weather however there had been no consideration of alternative activities. Overall, people had not been participating in either personalised or group activities. When we fed this back to the management team, they explained there had been some issues with continuity since an activity coordinator left their post recently, and there was a need to make improvements in the provision of activities.

Although the provider employed staff who planned, facilitated and coordinated social events and activities, further work was needed to ensure activities were designed to meet people’s individual interests and needs. Where people had participated in activities, these had not always been recorded in their daily records. When we fed this back to the management team, they put a plan in place to ensure people’s activities were recorded effectively. Overall, care plans included people’s preferences about their care. We did however identify an instance where a person’s social preferences and end of life preferences were not included in their care plans. When we told the management team about this, they put a plan in place to update their care plans. Where required, people had access to specialist equipment to support them with their care needs and to maximise their independence.

People gave mixed feedback about how staff responded to their immediate needs. One person told us, “Staff listen to me if I need anything. If I need a drink, they get me one”. Another person told us, “Staff are busy all the time but if I need them, they are there”. Another person said, “When I need help with personal care, staff do not always come quickly.”

Staff told us they responded quickly to people’s immediate needs. One staff member told us, “We respond straight away to people’s personal care needs.” Another staff member told us, “Staff are prompt at attending to people’s personal care needs." Another staff member told us, “When somebody has had a fall, we reassure them, check them over straight away and call for a nurse.”

We observed staff responding to people’s needs in a timely way. For example, where people required support to go to the toilet or with personal care, staff responded to their needs straight away.” Where people required support during lunchtime, staff responded straight away by discussing food options or bringing a replacement meal, if requested.

Staff feedback was mostly positive about how the management team supported them in their roles, and they felt supported to deliver good care. One staff member told us, “The management carry out spot checks and help staff to deliver better care.” Another staff member told us, “The managers are very supportive and hands on. The deputy manager used her capacity as a nurse to support residents the other day.”

Systems in place to promote the wellbeing of staff and to enable them to deliver person centred care were effective. Staff wellbeing and how to promote person centred care was discussed in one-to-meetings with a senior or manager, and in team meetings. Handover meetings took place to ensure staff were up-to-date with people’s needs and risks. The management team supported people with their care needs where required.