The Spires

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 good. At this assessment the rating has remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care. 

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.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. People and relatives told us staff were kind and compassionate and upheld people’s dignity. Comments included, “They (staff) always knock on the door before coming into my room. I like that.” and “Staff all show empathy to [Name of family member], even the night staff sit and talk to [Name] when they have time. The staff are very caring; [Name] is in extremely good hands.” We observed caring and respectful interactions between people and staff. A staff member told us, “I respect people’s views and wishes and uphold their dignity. I treat the residents like my own family.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. People told us they felt treated as individuals, though some felt it took a while for staff to understand their personal preferences when they were first admitted to the service. Care plans provided information to support personalised care, for example, details of key life events, personal histories, abilities and likes and dislikes. Further development of care plans was required to include the impact of people’s health conditions on their communication and abilities, and specific routines that are important to them. The registered manager told us they would undertake a review of care plans following our assessment visit to ensure this information was recorded.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People told us staff supported them to be independent and respected their choices. Comments included, “I make all my own decisions about my care; I keep independent too and staff respect this.” and “I’m quite happy here. I was lonely. I came to try it; I was very happy with it, so I stayed. I make all my own decisions, I’m very independent. I go to bed and I get up when I want.” Overall people looked well cared for. We observed people wearing suitable clothing and were well presented. We observed kind interactions where staff took their time to promote people's independence, choice and control.

The provider 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. We saw staff were attentive to people during our site visit and people did not have to wait long for support. However, some people and relatives told us there were occasions when it took a long time for staff to support them. A person told us, “Staff response to call bells varies. Sometimes it’s a long time, up to ¾ of an hour, or sometimes straight away. I would like to know if they have a system to monitor how long it takes them to answer buzzers.” and “I do think sometimes they (staff) could be better on the buzzer here (respond quicker); that’s the only thing I can think of that needs to improve.”

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Processes were in place to provide support to staff and foster their development within their roles. Staff told us they felt supported and their wellbeing was promoted. A staff member told us, “I get support from the [registered] manager and deputy manager; not just about work”.