Moorgate 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. This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 80 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. We observed staff interacting with people in a very caring and thoughtful way. Staff respected people's privacy and dignity and treated people with warmth. One example was when someone was due to be weighed and staff decided to wait until the nurse changed their dressing so the person would not have to be disturbed twice. Throughout the home the atmosphere was friendly and inviting, and people were happy. Staff knocked on doors and waited to be invited into people’s private space. As staff entered people’s bedrooms, they introduced themselves and passed pleasantries. One staff member said, “If people are comfortable and happy that’s all that matters to me.” Another staff member said, “I make sure people have what they want and need. If I can't help, I find a senior or nurse who I know will sort things out for people. No-one is ever left. People have good care here.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. Staff took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. People were involved in their care and support and their preferences were discussed, recorded and maintained. People’s bedrooms were decorated and arranged as they wished, and people had access to their personal pictures and items if they chose. The provider had a team of ‘champions’ in the home who met regularly to discuss any issues they had observed or that had been raised to them. This included a dignity champion, who was responsible not only for feeding back to the committee, but also for promoting dignity for both people and staff on a day-to-day basis.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. The provider employed 2 activity co-ordinators who organised meaningful activities and social events. Some sessions were provided as a group and others on a one to one basis. Activities were person centred and devised based on what people wanted to engage with. Some people were supported to the local pub for lunch, while others were happy partaking in crafts and group activities. People had access to newspapers and magazines if they wished.

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 had access to a call system to alert staff if they needed their support. Some people were not able to use this system, but care plans in place showed regular checks were carried out to ensure they were safe and had access to everything they needed. Staff anticipated people’s needs by ensuring they were available and could observe what was happening. For example, where people were at risk of falling, sensor equipment was used as a means to communicate to the staff team that people were mobilising.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The provider supported staff through regular supervision and appraisal and helped them develop to their full potential. Regular staff group and one-to-one meetings took place with staff where they were encouraged to raise any concerns they had, particularly in relation to equality. If a staff member identified a concern regarding a protected characteristic, the provider took appropriate actions to support them. Staff had access to a staff handbook and reasonable adjustments were considered as part of their application, on employment and reviewed at regular intervals.