Aquarius Care Home

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 provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Requires Improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to Good. This meant people felt well-supported, cared for and treated with dignity and respect.

This service scored 65 (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. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People and relatives told us they were treated with respect and kindness. One person said, “The staff are very kind. They explain what they are doing when they help me to get washed. Another person told us, “The carer always shuts my curtains if I cannot do that, before I get undressed. And they make sure I am comfortable when I am having a shower. They are very good.”

We observed that staff were friendly towards people and gave them time. There was a calm and relaxed atmosphere within the service. We observed doors to people’s rooms were closed when people were being supported with their personal care needs. Staff knocked on doors before entering and spoke kindly to people.

A relative told us, “I am often visiting, and from my observations, I can honestly say the staff are always kind and caring. They know everyone’s name, and nothing is too much trouble.” Another relative told us, “It’s the little things that make you realise how caring the staff are. When I take him out, he’s eager to get back because he knows that the cook is making him cauliflower cheese. Staff are kind, right from the management down, because staff listen to people and let them do what they want while gently guiding people who may need that guidance.”

Staff detailed how they treated people with dignity and kindness. One staff member told us, “When I care for someone, what matters most is that they are happy and eating well. I show them privacy and dignity by knocking on their door before entering their room, close the door, stand outside the toilet, whatever makes that person most comfortable.”

A healthcare professional told us, “Residents always appear to be treated with kindness when I visit, dignity and respect maintained throughout.”

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 were treated well. One person told us, “The staff are very good at listening to anything I have to say and give me time. They know I prefer a shower to a bath.” Another person told us, “The staff know I don’t eat poultry but love beef and go out of their way to make it lovely.” One relative told us, “They have ordered my brother special foods, not because ne needs them but because he likes them.”

We observed staff respecting people’s choices and treating them as individuals. For example, when one person didn’t want to eat her meal, she was given the freedom to walk away when gentle encouragement to eat was unsuccessful. The person appeared content and gladly accepted the meal 10 minutes later.

A health care professional told us, “People would always have a member of staff present at appointments; they assist people to understand why they are at the appointment and what care needs to be undertaken. The complexities of dementia are understood by staff and ensure this doesn’t become a barrier to care.”

The provider did not always promote people’s independence, so people did not always know their rights and have choice and control over their own care, treatment and well being.

Although people and relatives told us they were given choice, this was not consistent across the service. One person had moved rooms at the service. This move had not been instigated by the person, but because the provider wanted the room to be available for a new person to move to the service.

People had not been involved in the decoration of their home, so it did not always reflect their choices, preferences or cultural background.

People told us they were given choice and control over aspects of their daily lives. For example, one person told us, “The staff assist me at mealtimes. If I am having a pie, they will offer to cut it up, so that I can feed myself more easily. I choose what I want to eat and clothes and shoes I want to wear.” Another person told us, “I can see my family when I want, and they are made welcome when they visit. They don’t restrict visiting.”

A relative told us, “My relative likes to get up early and have a cup of tea which they get for him. If he wants to go shopping, he will ask staff to call me, and they facilitate this whenever he asks them.”

Staff supported people to make decisions and choices for themselves. One staff member told us, “One person is unable to access the buttons on their phone but can tell you who they want to phone by showing us photos; they will point to a photo, and we will dial the number for them.”

We observed meaningful interactions between staff and people, which showed that staff respected people and knew how to communicate with them, addressing people by their preferred names. Staff used respectful language when communicating with people and when talking about the people they supported.

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.

People told us their needs were met. One person told us, “I don’t keep a worry inside. I can tell any of the staff anything I need, and I would feel listened to because the staff are so kind.” A relative told us, “My father was worried about people entering his room, he was asked if he would like a different room, which he declined because he loves his room. So, we spoke with the manager, and they showed us some locks that would keep him safe but also allow access by staff. Now he feels safer and happier because he chose the lock, and his concerns were listened to.”

The management team told us, “We spend a lot of time with people; to build a rapport and make them know they are the focus, they matter. This is their home, not ours. And we give our staff time. It’s about being available, accessible and honest.”

Staff told us, “We know people’s likes and dislikes and these are documented on the front page of their care plans. For example, “One person likes to sing and dance, and another person loves reggae and enjoys listening to lots of different music in his room.”

We observed staff responding to people’s needs in a timely manner. Call bells were answered quickly and staff discreetly supported people who required support with their personal care.

The provider did not always care about and promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not always support or enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

There was a lack of processes to support staff well-being. There was a high turnover of staff. Staff surveys had not taken place to gain staff views about how the service could improve. There were no programmes or incentives to enable staff to develop in their role. If staff undertook training or attended meetings at the service such as supervision or staff meetings on a scheduled day off, they were not renumerated. This practice did not promote workforce well-being and enablement.

Staff told us they were supported by the management team on site who valued them.

One staff member told us, “When I needed support, they were very flexible with me and switched the rota around.” Another staff member told us, “I feel useful and supported working here. When I needed to reduce my working days to spend time with my family, and they made this happen quickly.”