Valley 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

Staff were exceptionally kind and caring when supporting people. This approach had supported and enabled people to live full and active lives. People had been supported to achieve fantastic outcome as a result of staff support including being in control of what they did with their lives and no longer needing various restrictive practices to help keep them safe. Staff and the management team were dedicated and committed to finding out how people wanted to be supported in line with their individual preferences. This translated in to a very focused person centred approach to people’s support. People were supported to be as independent as they chose to be and the staff and management team ensured people were in full control of every aspect of their support. The way staff supported people to make choices was incredible. The staff and management team had got to know people extremely well and as such were able to identify and support them with any new or immediate support needs they may have. This meant people did not have to worry if their supports needs changed. People were able to utilise their staff support whenever and however they liked, leading to incredible experiences for them. The management team prioritised people’s support above all else but also offered brilliant support to staff who loved working at the service and felt exceptionally well supported by the provider.

This service scored 100 (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 unable to speak with us verbally about how kind and caring staff were. However, people were exceptionally relaxed and showed signs they were very happy with their support. For example, one person was vocalising happily as staff supported them to talk about their day and plan what they were doing. This person used to find planning their day very difficult however, the kind and supportive conversations the staff were having with them, enabled them to talk about this whilst being very relaxed. The person visibly smiled with delight being supported by staff and ‘high fived’ them regularly. Another person was becoming upset about some unplanned building work at the service. Staff were able to speak with the person in a kind and calm way, in line with what was best for the person to aid their understanding. As a result of this the person felt much better. Another person smiled and told us staff were ‘lovely’ and ‘beautiful.’ Relatives gave extremely positive feedback about the kind and caring nature of the staff team. Their comments included, ‘‘The staff team are truly wonderful as since [family member] has lived here the change in them has been incredible. Things just keep getting better and better.’’ and, ‘‘Since [family member] has been at Valley House the way they used to show they were upset have more or less disappeared. They are so happy living there and the staff are just wonderful. The best indication of how great the staff are is that [family member] feels so at home there and sees them as their family. [Family member] has found it hard to stay at places for a long time in the past but has happily lived here for [extended period of time.’’

Staff went above and beyond to make sure they supported people in as kind and compassionate a way as possible. It was clear when speaking with staff that they truly cared for people and wanted what was best for them. One staff member said, ‘‘The best part of the job is seeing people happy. Making sure they have everything they need to have the best time they can possible have. I love it when people come and hold my hand when they need to feel calm and I know what a difference this makes to them.’’ Another staff member told us, ‘‘Of course being kind and treating people with compassion is the main part of the job role above all else. I would never think to treat people as anything more than the most important person in the world when I am supporting them.’’ The registered manager continuously promoted a kind and caring atmosphere at the service. They said, ‘‘It has been a long process to get the staff team as consistent as what it is because of how high our standards are. We only employ the best people who have the right caring attitude towards people. People living here are unique individuals with their own ways of needing support and I can confidently say staff understand the need to maintain a calm and relaxed attitude at all times. This has become part of the course, and we are very proud of how far the service has come. The way staff supported people as explained in the rest of this quality statement show the very high standard of care and support staff were giving people.

We did not receive any specific feedback from professionals as part of this assessment. However, it was clear in people’s support plans that professionals had been consulted where necessary to make sure people had the right level of support. Advice from professionals such as positive behaviour support specialists and speech and language therapists had been added to people’s support plans. This advice was worded and detailed to staff in a way that kept the person firmly at the centre of the advice given by professionals. For example, advice from one professional about how best to support a person when they were feeling unhappy was worded in away that made it clear to staff that the support should only be given if the person was happy to have the support and their choices should always be put first. The registered manager explained, ‘‘We have a fantastic [professional] who works solely with [provider]. This had meant they have been able to get to know people well as individuals and the support they put in place for them aligns completely with our values and the way we support people.’’

We observed staff to treat people with kindness compassion and dignity at all times. The way staff spoke with people was exemplary and showed they understood that treating people with kindness and compassion meant they had the best experiences of support possible. For example, staff spoke calmy and in a relaxed manner to a person who was feeling upset. This resulted in the person feeling better almost immediately and they were able to carry on with their day. Staff explained to us, ‘‘The thing to remember is that [person] needs a kind and caring approach when they are feeling upset. Because of this we are able to help them before they decide to [show being upset in another way.’’ Staff spoke and communicated with people in ways that made sense to them. One person communicated using physical touch in the form of a hug. Staff supported this whilst maintaining professional boundaries and the person vocalised to show how happy they were with this support. People approached staff in a calm and relaxed manner seeking interaction and support, where as in the past this would have been something they found difficult to do. This was evidence of the impact the kind and caring nature of the staff team had for people. Staff fully understood how to support people with dignity and treat them with respect in all aspects of their lives, based on the choices they made. Staff and the management team did not feel the need to explain why people chose to live the way they did to us when we visited people’s flats as they fully supported people’s choices. This showed a fantastic understanding of how to support people with dignity and respect as staff did not feel the need to explain people’s decision to other people visiting them in their home environment. A relative said, ‘‘You cannot fault how the staff team support [family member]. They are treated with such understanding and respect. It is absolutely brilliant.’’

People were unable to tell us verbally how they were supported as individuals. However, our observations and evidence from their support plans and the outcomes they had been supported to achieve showed the very highest level of person-centred care. Staff understood people fully as individuals and supported them completely in line with what their individual personalities and preferences were. For example, one person was finding it difficult to relax and fall asleep. Staff worked with people and their relative to identify a past time that would support them with this and this led to a fantastic outcome for the person who now looked forward to this. The persons relative said, ‘‘[Family member] takes part in [past time] regularly now and really loves it. They look forward to it. They can feel so anxious and then this just calms them right down. They thrive on this and it really helps them sleep. It has been brilliant for them.’’ Another person had found it particularly difficult to start doing an activity they used to do frequently after not being supported to do this for some time. As a result of the hard work and dedication of the staff team this person was able to successfully take part in this again and this had a significant and profound positive impact on their wellbeing. The person’s relatives explained, ‘‘It has taken a long time but [staff] worked hard and took it step by step to make sure [family member] could do one of their favourite things again. You can see in [family member’s] face how delighted they are when they leave to do the activity.’’ Another relative told us, ‘‘[Staff] have spent a lot of time and effort getting to know [family member] fully as an individual. It is great they know exactly who the staff are and I can be confident that each and every one of those staff know exactly what [family member] likes and doesn’t like.’’

Staff confidently and passionately explained about each person they supported and their individual needs. It was clear through our discussions they had prioritised getting to know people as individuals first and foremost and had ensured they supported them in line with their preferred method of support. One staff member said, ‘‘The care plans are fantastic and give us a really detailed view of [person] but nothing compares to knowing them as an individual. Person is living with [detailed overview of support needs] and we support them in line with what they want first. It is all about positive risk taking. If a person wants to do something then we make it happen. That is how we got to the point where [person] no longer needs [specific medicine] to help them feel less anxious anymore.’’ Another staff member explained, ‘‘Person centred care is not just words- it is a way in which you help people. I know when [person] needs space but also know how important it is for them to have us at hand for whenever they need us. You only get to know those signs knowing the person truly as a person if that makes sense.’’ The registered manager told us about some of the things people had been supported to achieve at the service. ‘‘When [person] first came her we were supporting them with physical restraint but we didn’t need this anymore as we could help them in other ways so we just took it out the care plan. Another person was taking medicines quite regularly to help them feel calm if they were upset but again they didn’t need it so we asked the GP to stop it. It is good we have got to the point where people are going out in the community as much as possible.’’ The way in which they talked about this indicated they did not seem to fully appreciate the fantastic impact the staff teams support had for people. This was because supporting people in this way was second nature to them and they did not feel the need to highlight these amazing achievements as anything out of the ordinary.

We did not receive specific feedback from professionals as part of this assessment. However, it was clear in people’s support plans that professionals had been consulted where necessary to make sure people had the right level of support based on their individual needs. For example, a professional had been consulted to make sure a person had the right level of support in order to make choices in line with their individual assessed needs and level of capacity. The provider employed a specific professional to support people living with learning disabilities and autistic people to engage in positive behaviour support. Records showed this person was supporting people very frequently when they first started living at the service. However, with their support and the way in which staff fully embraced their advice, they did not need to visit people as often as this support was no longer needed. The registered manager explained, ‘‘[Professional] is always on hand to make sure we have the support to help people in the best ways possible. They were really involved at first but not as much now which I think shows how far people have come with their support.’’ A relative spoke with us about how staff had worked with professionals to help their family member achieve good outcomes. They said, ‘‘When [person] first lived at the service they were reliant on [medicine] to help them feel better if they were upset. It was essentially like a knock out for them. [Staff] have worked well together and with [professional] and now they no longer need the medicine. This is great for us as we thought they would need to take it the rest of their lives. I am forever grateful to the support from the staff team.’’

We observed people to be fully treated as individuals with staff supporting them completely in line with how they wanted to be supported. One person was visibly extremely excited to be heading gout for one of their favourite activities. Staff shared in this persons excitement and the person reacted with glee and excitement, indicating staff knew how to share the person’s enthusiasm and excitement for the activity. Another person chose to frequently leave the service to go in to the garden area throughout the day and staff were aware and fully supported this. The person vocalised their pleasure with this. Staff explained, ‘‘We know how important it is for [person] to go where they want when they want to. They were not able to do this before they came here so we make sure we are on hand every minute so they can go where they want, when they want to.’’ People’s individual support needs meant they needed specific staffing levels depending on whether they were staying in their flats or going out in the community. As explained in the staffing quality statement there were more than enough staff to support people at any given time to do what they wanted. We observed this to be beneficial for people several times. People would make decisions to leave the service to pursue their interests and the correct level of staff would immediately be available to support them. A relative said, ‘‘[Staff] never ever let [family member] down if they want to get out and about. They just have to look at the car keys and staff are there asking them where they want to go.’’

The registered manager ensured people’s care and support plans were incredibly detailed and explained their individual support needs to staff in a clear way. Support plans gave an immensely detailed overview of how people liked to be supported as individuals. People and their relatives were regularly spoken with to make sure they agreed care plans were correct and gave a good overview of people’s individual care needs. One relative told us, ‘‘I am fully involved in every discussion and [staff] truly see me as a partner in relation to [family members] support. I think the care plan is excellent and really gives you a flavour of who [family member] is and the support they need.’’ The registered manager and provider told us about an internal ‘expert by experience’ who was a person using another of the providers service. They planned to have this expert visit the service to see if there were any improvements that could be made to the way people were being supported as individuals. They would use an audit completed by this person to identify where they could better the already brilliant support people received. The registered manager said, ‘‘We are excited that the expert will be in place and able to visit us and talk about the support we give people soon. This will be a cornerstone of how we can keep getting better.’’ The registered manager showed us audits they completed in relation to people’s ‘quality of life.’ These focused on people’s lived experiences at the service and whether they were being supported fully in line with their individual support plans. One staff member said, ‘‘I love how the management team focus on how people are feeling and getting on before anything else. It is definitely people first and paper work second.’’

People were unable to tell us whether they were supported to be independent or to have choices in relation to their support. However, evidence in care records and from our observations showed staff supported people to be as independent as they possibly could. For example one person was observed to be keeping their flat clean and tidy. Staff fully enabled this person to do this and only supported them where necessary. This persons relative said, ‘‘[Family member] has come along way and are so much more independent and self sufficient than what they were before. They take pride in their home and this is something that is important to them. Staff have understood and supported with this.’’ Another relative said, ‘‘[Family member] used to be quite happy to let staff do everything for them but you can see how this has changed now. Staff have worked magic. I cannot believe how much more in control [family member] is with their own life now.’’ People were fully in control of their support and were able to make choices in all aspects of their lives. Due to the fantastic staffing levels at the service people could choose when and how they spent their time. Relatives comments included, ‘‘It is utterly evident [family member] is in full control of their environment. [Staff] know precisely how they like things and how they make choices. The things staff support [family member] with are extraordinary and it is all down to [family member] feeling safe and in control.’’ and, ‘‘ [Family member] has so much more freedom at the service and is able to do what they want to do. We did not realise how happy they could be until they lived at the service- it is heartwarming to see.’’

Staff were passionate about supporting people to be as independent as possible and prioritised making sure people were given full choice and control in all aspects of their support. One staff member said, ‘‘We support people to make choices in ways that makes sense to them. It can take a long time for people to make decisions and it is about being patient and giving people plenty of time to make their choice. Never assume that a person wants something a certain way. We are here to support them, not to make choices for them.’’ Another staff members explained how one person could now make their own drink. Staff had worked hard with the person to support them to do this and they took great pride in this achievement. The registered manager spoke at length about the way in which people were supported to make choices about their support. People were involved in meetings about their support called person centred planning reviews. The person was fully supported to engage and make choices about the way they were supported, and this was shared with them in ways they understood for example, in pictorial forms. The registered manager said, ‘‘Choice is a central part of peoples lives and people using this service should expect this from us. A massive reason why we have been able to support people in the way we have is because we have made sure they are fully in control of their own lives. I am tremendously proud of the impact we have had as a result of this.’’

We observed staff supporting people to be as independent as they could be in their day to day lives. One person was supported to make their own lunch and drink. This took a long time, however staff supported the person to have the time they needed to do this themselves. The person was visibly delighted with themselves when they achieved this. The staff explained that some time a go the person was unable to do this so this meant a lot to them. People were observed to be fully in control of their support. People chose when to leave the service and staff immediately responded to their choice. One person chose to behave in their preferred manner in their flat and staff fully supported this choice without the need to explain to us the reasons for this. The registered manager said, ‘‘We are entering [persons] home, and they choose to live this way so we fully respect this and would expect anyone else to fully support this too.’’ Another person found it difficult to transition and go out into the community. We observed staff taking this person to the vehicle when they felt ready to leave the service, however the person chose to go back into the service multiple times. Staff fully respected and supported the person to make this choice again and again and the end result was the person went out to take part in their chosen pastime. Another person was supported to go out in to the community however, when they got there they felt overstimulated and wanted to do something else. Staff communicated with the person in ways they understood to support them to make another choice. A relative explained, ‘‘Historically [family member] found it very hard to make choices and was restricted because of this. It has been a long process to get where we are now but they are now able to choose more or less everything they want to do.’’

Processes to enable people to be independent and in control of their support were fully embedded at the service. The registered manager and staff team shared several examples with us of how potentially quite challenging situations for people had been made possible by staff fully enabling people to be in control of their lives. One person’s flat needed urgent redecorating and thanks to the staffs support and the use of pictorial and visual aids what would have been a very difficult experience for the person was made easy. Staff worked with the person to help them understand they would not be able to sue some areas of their flat for some time and respected the persons choice to stay in areas of the flat not being decorated rather than move to another locations. This meant the person had appositive outcome and experience. The persons relative said, ‘‘The way the whole thing was handled was outstanding.’’ Another person displayed how they were feeling by hurting themselves or other people. The persons relative explained, ‘‘[Family member] used to really hurt themselves if they felt upset. They used to need medicines to calm them down. They do not need this anymore and this is all down to how in control they are and the choices they have been given.’’ The registered manager showed us multiple examples of where people no longer needed physical restraint or medicines to support them when they felt upset or anxious. They explained, ‘‘I think what is most important is giving people the power to be in control of their own lives. Restraint may have been used in other areas as people were not empowered to have the choices they have living here.’’ Not being supported with restrictive practices any more were fantastic outcomes for people and people were clearly more happy and settled as a result of this.

People were unable to verbally tell us if they were supported with their immediate needs at all times. However, it was clear from our observations and from evidence of people’s outcomes and daily records that staff went above and beyond to make sure they were on hand to support people immediately with anything they needed. People chose to go out spontaneously multiple times throughout the day and staff responded to this straight away enabling people to have full and complete choice about when and how they spent their time. People’s relatives said, ‘‘It has been a completely different way of living for [family member] since they started living at [service]. Going out used to be a thing that needed lots of planning and by the time it got round to going [family member] didn’t want to go anymore. Now they can go out whenever they want and staff make sure they don’t have to wait.’’ and, ‘‘It is great to know staff are so responsive. I know for a fact [family members needs are met every minute of the day.’’ People also had their immediate needs met in relation to their social and emotional support needs. Staff were available every minute of the day and spent time making sure they were on hand to support people at any given moment. People were fully supported with their immediate needs which made them feel safe and secure in their daily lives. For example, one person was supported to have personal care multiple times throughout the day and staff were on hand at all times to support with this. People were incredibly relaxed and happy in their home environment and though they had found it hard to live in other service, had settled in well at the service and lived there for extended periods of time. This meant a lot to people and their relatives and was evidence of how fantastically well their support needs were being met.

: Staff unanimously told us that the reason they worked in the job was so they could support people to have the best quality of life they could have. Staff told us when they were at work they were there to support people and were it was completely up to the person how to use their time. One staff member said, ‘‘The whole point of the job is being there for people whenever they need us. We make sure [people] can do what they want when they want to. People wake up feeling different everyday and no matter what they want we are here to help them with that.’’ Staff told us the staffing levels at the service were amazing and enabled them to support people immediately with anything them may need. A member of the management team said, ‘‘We always have extra ‘float’ staff available for people to go out or do other things that require more staff. As management staff we are not officially on shift to support people but if we need to support then we drop everything else and put the people first.’’ The management team were passionate about making sure staff prioritised people’s needs over everything else. They had supported each person at the service to source and purchase their own vehicle meaning they could leave the service and access the community at any given time and had also made sure staff were able to drive when they started working at the service. This fully enabled people to be supported with their immediate needs.

We observed staff were exceptionally responsive and supported people immediately whenever they asked or needed support. For example, one person left their flat and staff were on hand to immediately support them to leave the service. This person vocalised how happy they were with this and it was clear this meant a lot to the person. A relative spoke with us about how staff had supported their family member to access the garden area of the service when they had found this quite difficult for an extended period of time. The relative explained, ‘‘I spoke with the staff team about how best to support [family member] to start doing what they liked to do again. They worked hard to make sure they had their own specific area of the garden to use and this has worked really well for them.’’ Relatives gave us multiple examples of how the staff team had supported their family members in an incredibly responsive way. They explained this had helped their family member integrate fully in to the service and have the most full and active life they possibly could. The impact this had on their family members was astounding. Relatives comments included, ‘‘This place is 100% everything that [family member] needs. They are so, so happy here and it is incredible to see how far they have come. They are so settled and the fact they are happy makes me happy. I come and see them multiple times a week and this is never an issue. It has been fantastic.’’ and, ‘‘We have only wanted [family member] to be happy and can honestly say for the first time they are happy. [Staff] are wonderful and so willing to do whatever needs to be done to help them. They listen to what we have to say and keep us up to date. We are so grateful.’’

Staff felt amazingly well supported by the management team and the provider and this translated in to fantastic support for people . Their comments included, ‘‘This is a beautiful place to work. The management team truly listen to us if we think things could be done better and put things in place so we can help people in the best way possible. Getting to work with people and help them achieve what they want is the best feeling ever and brings joy to my heart.’’ and, ‘‘I love it when people ask me what it is like to work here. The providers values speak to me and they truly value people’s experiences above all else. We are supported to have a massive impact on people’s lives and I can see the difference in [people] as I work with them.’’ Staff told us how well supported they were at work. One staff member spoke about how they were supported to become more fluent in English and maths and how the provider had fully supported them to do this. Another staff member said, ‘‘The training here is brilliant and everything is so thorough. It is amazing what a difference the training has made to how I understand why people need the support they do.’’ The registered manager told us they and the provider fully supported staff to be the best they could be. They explained the various ways they did this as we describe in the rest of this quality statement. The registered manager told us about the support they had from the provider, ‘‘[Provider] are amazing. They are quite large but it doesn’t fee like it with the way they focus on person centred care. Anything I need, I can ask them and we also have lots of regular meetings.’’

Relatives were very complimentary about the management team and registered manager. Their comments included, ‘‘I am exceptionally pleases with how things are going. There has been a noticeable difference since [registered manager] has been in post and things keep improving. They get in contact with us to see how things are going and it is clear they have made a massive difference to [family member]. and, ‘‘[Registered manager] has been wonderful and their door is always open. I have complete faith in [management team and provider] and they have exceeded my expectations. [Family member] is the happiest they have ever been and I can only see things getting better.’’ The provider had processes in place to fully support staff in every way possible. Staff were supported to have formal supervisions and meetings to discuss their practice however also told us the management team had an open door policy and they could approach them at any time. The provider had multiple help and support lines which staff could access at all times. Some staff working at the service were supported on a sponsorship scheme and told us how the provider fully supported them with all aspects of this. This included, for example, support to learn a language which was not their primary language so they could better understand and support people and also understand how to support people in line with their culture. They were also supported to take extended periods of leave to see their families and they told us the significant positive impact this had on their wellbeing. As a result of how staff were supported, they truly embraced and loved every aspect of their job role. This resulted in the fantastic outcome people experienced thanks to staff support as detailed in the rest of this quality statement.