Highbury 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

People were supported by kind and compassionate staff, who treated them with dignity and respect. Relatives told us staff encouraged people to be independent and encouraged people to engage in activities. People’s protected characteristics were respected, and people’s individuality was promoted. Staff told us they felt supported by the management team.

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.

People told us they were supported by kind staff, who treated them with dignity and respect. One person said, “The staff always shut the door when they're helping me with washing and dressing.” Relatives told us people were supported by kind staff. One relative told us, “They treat [my family member] with respect and dignity. The staff always treat [my family member] respectfully.”

Staff told us they actively promoted people’s privacy and dignity. One staff member said, “We must uphold people's privacy and dignity when giving personal care. When changing a person's clothes, we must close door. We always knock the door before entering people's bedrooms and we ask permission before we carry out any tasks.” Another staff member told us, “We have to safeguard people's dignity and respect. We respect their religion and their confidentiality. If we are carrying out personal care, we will do the minimum interfering. We will close the curtains and the door. We always give choices first. Some people will point out their choices, they can't express their words but they can still point to make their own choice.”

Visiting professionals told us the staff promoted people’s dignity and privacy. One visiting professional told us, “I have witnessed staff speaking with people in a person-centred way and taking time to ensure people they support understand.”

We observed staff treating people with kindness and respect. Staff used positive, respectful language which people understood and responded well to. Privacy and dignity were respected. We observed staff members knocking on bedroom doors before entering. We observed people, who struggled with verbal communication, smile at staff and take the staff members hands to lead them where they wanted to go, staff responded warmly.

People told us they felt valued by staff who showed genuine interest in their well-being and quality of life. We observed staff discussing people’s goals with them. People told us staff supported them in the way they wanted. Relatives told us staff supported people in line with their abilities. One relative said, “Staff know to take their time because [my family member] will do things at their own speed.”

Staff understood people’s unique care and support needs and told us about these. One staff member told us, “It's really important to get to know people and find out as much about them as possible. You need to read the communication book and care plans, attend meetings and handovers. Things can change.”

We observed staff referring to people by their chosen names and using appropriate styles of interaction. Staff knew people well and supported them in an individualised and personalised way. Staff spoke to people about topics that interested them.

People’s individual needs and preferences were reflected in their care plans. Care plans detailed people’s likes and dislikes. However, we raised concerns over the television in the communal lounge being restricted behind a screen without due cause. On the 3rd day the screen was removed and the provider shared plans to move the television onto the wall which would enable people to have better viewing of the television. Staff supported people to follow their chosen preferences. For example, staff regularly supported one person to enjoy visiting a place of worship. Another person sometimes chose to follow a vegetarian diet but then occasionally changed their mind. The provider respected the person’s decision at the specific time and ensured there was a choice of food available to meet their preferences.

People told us they were able to make their own decisions and their independence skills were promoted. One person told us they were considering taking on a volunteering job. Relatives told us staff supported their family member to maintain and develop their independence. One relative said, "Staff are good at letting [my family member] do things for themself. Staff enable [my family member] to make their own choices.” Relatives told us staff supported people to maintain contact with them. One relative said, “Staff support [my family member] to maintain contact with me. Staff drive [my family member] to meet me.”

Staff supported people to maintain links with family and friends. Staff told us how activities had improved and how they encouraged people to take part in activities to promote their independence. One staff member told us, “The activities have massively improved. There are enough staff on duty now to take people where they want to go and we can spend time encouraging people to try new things.”

We observed people carrying out independence skills with staff, such as cleaning and choosing colour schemes for the new refurbishments. One person's care plan detailed the support required from staff to encourage independence skills. However, staff did not encourage the person to complete their independence skills in line with their care plan. The manager explained the care plan needed updating due to the person’s changing abilities, explaining the person was no longer able to complete these independence tasks. The care plan was updated during the assessment.

Processes were in place to support people's choices and preferences. Keyworker sessions took place to increase people’s independence skills. Risk assessments were detailed and covered a wide range of activities, including plans to go on holiday. However, some care plans needed to be updated to reflect people's current independence skills and preferences.

People told us they trusted the staff who supported them. We observed staff asking people about their views and wishes. Relatives told us staff responded to people’s needs promptly and kept them updated on people’s changing needs. One relative told us “When [my family member] goes for their appointments, they just take [my family member] and they feedback to me when I come and visit each week.“

Staff told us how they listened to people’s needs and wishes. One staff member told us, “[Person’s name] cannot speak but they can understand. We watch them closely for body language signs. They may point out things or use sign language.”

We observed staff responding promptly to people. One person started to show signs of becoming distressed. Staff responded quickly and supported the person appropriately. They later told us about the strategies they used to support this person when they became distressed.

Staff told us they felt supported by the management team. One staff member told us they had recently experienced a personal problem, they said, “The management has been really supportive. When I needed [member of management team] they were there straight away.” Another staff member said, “The management are really supportive. The new manager and deputy manager are doing really good things, I'm so happy with that.”

The provider valued the staff team. They set up regular events to celebrate the achievement of staff. People, relatives and other staff could vote for the staff member they wanted to nominate. The provider had initiatives in place to raise awareness of mindfulness for the staff team.