Rakewood House 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.

The service was previously in breach of legal regulation in relation to Dignity and Respect. The provider had failed to ensure people were treated with dignity and respect. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

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.

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.

Staff were described as friendly and caring. We observed some warm interactions between people and staff, with staff checking if people needed anything or just saying hello and speaking to them. People we spoke with told us, “I feel relaxed here and I love the staff so much I don’t want to go home” and “I know them very well and they do look after me and know exactly what I need.” The relative of one person also commented “Sometimes it’s just how they make her feel by holding her hand. It’s brilliant, kind and caring.”

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’s records reflected their individual wishes and preferences, including their cultural and religious needs. We saw one person enjoyed traditional halal food, which was provided. Some staff were able to speak with them in their first language. Another person, with a hearing impairment, used a wipe board to help them converse with staff.

We were told the local priest also came into the home to perform appropriate duties, particularly for those at the end of life who wished to have the ‘last rites’.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

We saw people’s routines varied depending on their needs and abilities. We found a high number of people were being cared for in bed due to their health and care needs. Where able, people made decisions about how they spent their time. They told us, “I get up about 9 and go to bed at 10. I just please myself”, “I please myself what I do during the day” and “I feel safe because I am in this room, no one bothers me. I have my lap top and that’s fine.”

People had access to necessary equipment to promote and enable them to maintain their independence. We saw people had access to walking aids and where necessary, were provided with adapted cutlery and cups, enabling them to eat and drink independently.

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 staff were busy but always responded to their requests for help. People said, “If I use the bell in my room for anything they come quite quickly”, “I do use the buzzer sometimes and they can take their time because they are busy but that’s not a problem and nothing detrimental happens to me” and “If I ring the bell for anything they are there in 10 minutes. They can be busy because it is a full on job.” The registered manager kept staffing levels under review, ensuring sufficient numbers of staff were available to meet people’s current and changing needs. People’s relatives said they had confidence in the staff, and they were kept informed of people’s changing needs.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The registered manager had been in post since November 2024. Areas of improvement to help support and develop the team had been identified. Staff spoken with felt positive changes had and were being made. Staff told us, “The manager has eyes on everything, looks at everything. She is very supportive and anything you need you can go to her” and “There’s been a massive improvement in the service and the morale.”

Staff were provided with a handbook which outlined their employment rights and benefits. This included flexible working arrangements and the mental health and well-being of staff.