Blackthorns

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We assessed 1 quality statement from this key question. For the quality statements we did not assess, we used the ratings awarded at the last inspection (published March 2023) to calculate the overall rating of good. People were seen making choices about how they spent their day, any minor restrictions were linked to the staffing levels, which the provider was addressing.

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.

We did not look at Kindness, compassion and dignity during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

People felt they were generally supported to maintain their independence, choice and control, however when staff were busy, people told us they may need to wait for support. One person commented, “I won’t ring the [call] bell at handover time, I try to be considerate, can understand other’s needs.” Another person said they would go to the lounge if they wanted a cup of tea, but when staff were busy, or not around, “May not get one for an hour.”

One person said, “I like it here... can choose what you want to eat." Another person with restricted sight, had memorised the layout of their bedroom and where to locate personal items. They said staff knew the importance of not moving anything around, as it would take their independence away.

Relatives felt comfortable visiting and could join their family member for a meal. People could receive their visitors in the privacy of their bedroom or make use of the different seating areas within the home and gardens.

Show plates were used at meals times, to support people living with dementia, as it enabled them to see/taste what the menu choices were. One staff member said if the person did not like the choices, “Can ask the chef for something specific and [chef] will make it.”

Staff told us how they supported people to retain their independence. One staff member said they always offered people choice and supported them to be independent, encouraging the person to do as much as they can for themselves. “Encourage them to dry themselves, comb their own hair. If they have dementia or have capacity, we don’t assume anything, offer them choice and promote their choice. If they want to do it themselves, supervise but enable them to do it.”

We saw people using their walking frames to support them to independently mobilise around the service. Staff were observed supporting people to make choices where they wanted to spend their time: activity/craft area, garden, lounge, or their bedroom.

Care plans provided some information on what a person could do for themselves, and the level of assistance required to support/maintain their independence. However, the information could be more personalised to include what people would like to do and achieve. For example, 2 people told us they would like to be able to write letters, this was not reflected in their care plans.

We did not look at Responding to people’s immediate needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Workforce wellbeing and enablement during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.