Hill Lodge

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 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 75 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. We observed staff to be very kind and caring. Staff knew people well and how best to support them. A relative told us, “The staff here are genuinely caring people.” Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. One professional said, “I enjoy my visits to the home and would be happy for a relative of mine to live here.”

Staff 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. Staff told us, “We make people’s life better by helping them achieve their goals. During keyworker meeting’s people tell us what they want to achieve for the next month. [Person] told us they wanted to go swimming. We made it possible to take them and others to the local leisure centre to use the Hydro pool.” One relative said, “When [Person] comes to stay with us, they will tell us when they want to go home, that tells us [person] is happy here. I can’t think of a single carer who is not good, they are terrific.” A healthcare professional commented, “One thing I must add is how lovely it is that each holiday in the year is celebrated with decorations and activities to make the time special for everyone.”

We observed staff promoting people’s independence, so they knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Staff told us they gave people a choice and say in the care and support they received on a daily basis. One staff member said, “We promote their independence from the moment they want to get up, to what they want to wear and what they want to eat. People choose their own fun activities they enjoy such as gardening.” Relatives told us staff provided people choice and control over their own lives and promoted their independence. One relative said, “[Person] has a better life than I have! Staff have just taken [person] to Disneyland Paris and also on the London Eye.”

Staff 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 observed staff respond appropriately to people who displayed signs of agitation. Staff knew people well and how best to support them. We spoke with staff who told us, “When people become upset or distressed, I acknowledge their feelings, sit with them and speak to them about why they are feeling upset. I communicate with them using their preferred method and actively listen to them.” Staff told us positive behaviour support plans were in place and provided them with the information they needed. Relatives told us, “Staff does what [person] wants or loves doing like clothes shopping or playing games on the computer. [Person] is very happy.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff. Staff told us they were supported well by the management team, and this enabled them to always deliver person-centred care. “[Registered Manager] is approachable, and I can talk to them about my problems whenever I need to. There are also mental health leads on site I can speak to.”