Ivy Court

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’s comments about the quality of the care provided was mostly positive and people were treated with kindness. However, improvements were required to ensure staff always responded to people’s needs in a timely manner and that their dignity was maintained. Wellbeing initiatives were in place for staff.

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’s and relative’s comments about the quality of the care provided was mostly positive. Where positive comments were told to us, these included, “We are quite satisfied with the care X has, this is a good place for them”, “They [staff] are very friendly, and nothing is too much for them to do” and “In terms of essential needs they [staff] do make sure X needs are met. It seems to be a very well disciplined and organised place.” Relatives were especially complementary regarding the qualified nurses. A relative told us, “I feel the nurses are very efficient.” Where less favourable comments were made these related to the attitude of some members of staff and staffs communication. The impact of this meant there was a perceived impression that the care and support provided could be “a bit hit and miss” on occasions. Relatives told us these concerns had been raised with the registered manager, with action taken to deal with the issues mentioned.

Despite improvements being needed by some members of staff to ensure people received care and support that was timely and responsive to their needs, staff spoken with were able to demonstrate an awareness and understanding of how to treat individual people with kindness, consideration and concern.

As previously stated, staff did not always respond to people’s needs quickly and efficiently. This referred specifically to a person’s comfort needs not being met in a timely manner, causing them to become distressed over a prolonged period of time. Although some people confirmed they were treated with respect and dignity, we observed an incident on Oak Unit whereby a person’s dignity was compromised by a visiting professional. However, staff were seemingly unaware of this and failed to intervene until we became involved. Following a discussion with the senior management team we were assured that steps would be taken to resolve this, including providing staff with refresher dignity awareness training.

People spoke positively about being treated as an individual. A person using the service told us a wide range of art and craft activities was routinely set up for them by staff to meet their needs. The person told us, “I do enjoy being in a place where they arrange things for me to do. They [staff] look after me, make my life interesting.” A relative enthused about how staff had understood and recognised the importance of music for their family member by setting up a regular folk club event at Ivy Court. The relative told us, “X is flourishing here, happier than before, singing and dancing, interacting with others.”

People’s individual needs and preferences were reflected and recorded within their individual care plan. This referred to people’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs.

People and relatives, we spoke with told us staff promoted people’s independence to enable them to have control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. For example, people were supported to mobilise, attend to their own personal care needs and to eat their meals independently or with minimal staff support.

Staff were aware of who and how people liked to be supported so as to maintain their independence. Staff told us people could choose what time they got up in the morning and the time they went to bed, what clothes they liked to wear, where they wished to have their meals and whether or not they wished to participate in social activities. Staff were able to tell us how they enabled people to make day-to-day choices, whether these related to simple or more complex decisions.

Our observations showed people were supported by staff to maintain aspects of their independence. For example, people had access to appropriate equipment, such as walking frames to help maximise their mobility and independence. Where applicable people were encouraged to retain their independence at mealtimes. Staff confirmed that some people who were very reliant on staff for most activities of daily living, were actively encouraged to undertake some aspects of their personal care, such as washing their face and hands, and brushing their teeth, to maximise their independence. The service supported visits for people living at Ivy Court. Observations demonstrated people were able to receive visitors without restrictions. Comments from people’s relatives included, “Basically I can visit any time I wish and there are no restrictions”, “We can go when we want. During COVID they were strict” and “We can visit when we like, it is open visiting I believe.”

People's care plans contained information to promote their independence, for example, mobilising around the service with no or little support from staff, engaging in social activities, making choices about their diet and meal selection and communication.

As previously stated not all people using the service and those acting on their behalf felt staff always responded in a timely way to meet theirs or their family member’s needs. Our observations indicated this was an infrequent occurrence but would need monitoring and addressing to ensure positive outcomes for people using the service.

To meet the wellbeing needs of staff, the registered manager ensured staff received regular breaks and had access to a private rest area. Staff spoken with confirmed this was accurate. The registered manager stated that staff wellbeing was discussed as part of staff meetings and within individual supervision sessions. This was accurate from records viewed as part of this assessment.

Suitable arrangements were in place at Ivy Court, whereby staff were recognised and rewarded for their hard work and going ‘the extra mile’ through the ‘Heart of Gold’ initiative. The staff workforce at Ivy Court were diverse, including representations from a range of different ethnicities, religions and LGBTQ+ communities. The registered manager confirmed appropriate arrangements were in place to recognise different multi-faith festivals and customs for staff. For example, the staff training room was available to enable staff to pray and considerations had been explored to assist those staff who needed to fast as part of their religious observance.