Littleton 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

People were treated with kindness and compassion and treated as individuals. Staff knew people well and responded to their immediate needs.

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.

People were treated with respect and dignity. People we spoke with confirmed the positive experiences they had with permanent staff members. One person told us, “Some of the staff are really kind and considerate.” Another person told us, “Nobody tells us what to do or not what to do here, it is very nice, staff are so kind.”

Staff told us how they supported people in a kind and compassionate way, respecting people’s privacy and dignity. One staff member told us, “When delivering personal care, I put the towel over the person’s legs.”

Partners we spoke with, were on the whole, complimentary of the care people received. External health and social care professionals felt staff supported people in a kind and compassionate way. One external professional told us, “There are no problems with the care staff, they do their best to help people.”

We observed staff supporting people in a kind and compassionate way. Staff spoke with people in a respectful way, and we observed staff spending time with people to listen to them and support their needs.

People were treated as individuals. One relative told us, “They started off giving [Person’s name] a shower, but they wanted to be more independent. They have worked with me and [Person’s name] and now they shower themself with less help.” One person told us, “It is really nice here, staff are so kind, I feel really looked after.”

Staff we spoke with told us in detail about the people they were caring for. Conversations with staff demonstrated staff knew people well. People's personal, social, cultural and religious needs were understood and met by staff. Staff members informed us people wanted more regular church services, this was reviewed and actioned to meet people’s religious and cultural needs. One staff member told us, “The Church service takes place every other Monday, and mirrors the Sunday service from the previous day. People requested the Church service, and they have the choice of the Holy Communion or having a blessing by the Vicar." Staff gave examples of supporting people in line with their needs, wishes and preferences which helped ensure people’s strengths were promoted and they were treated as an individual through everyday care and within specific circumstances. One member of staff spoke in detail about a resident, they informed us, “[Person’s name] like things done in a certain way, it’s the way you talk to them and letting them have the time to be where they need to be.” Another staff member told us about delivering care to one person and keeping them involved when supporting them to stand, “We [Staff] explain to them [Person’s name] what we’re doing and check their feet are in the right place. We tell them all the time what we’re doing.” This meant people were treated well and as an individual when care was being delivered.

We observed lots of examples of staff across the service having positive interactions with people and treating them well. Staff spent time with people and listened to them to ensure they promoted their strengths and treated them as individuals. This included during everyday routines, for example staff discreetly asked one person if they wanted to change their top following eating and spilling some food down them. Staff had discussions with people around their care, for example how they felt that day and if they wanted any pain relief. Where appropriate, staff encouraged people to inform them if they wanted anything else or required further pain relief. We observed the maintenance member of staff supporting one person with a cardboard model of a global landmark and sharing ideas of what it could be used for. The member of staff took the time to listen and understand what the person was saying, showing they valued the person’s input. The person smiled and interacted with the member of staff.

People's care records reflected people's individual needs and preferences. Records included information about people's cultural, social and religious needs and their communication preferences.

People had control of their own care, treatment and wellbeing. One person told us, “They [Staff] let me take a sandwich into my room for later if I don’t want the dinner. You can make yourself a drink if you want one.” One relative told us, “[Person’s name] does not like to be called anything other than their name, and staff always try to speak to [Person’s name] as they prefer, staff spend time with them and [Person’s name] is always calm and happy.”

Staff respected people’s needs, wishes and preferences and worked with people to support them to remain independent and make choices regarding their care and treatment. One staff member told us, “People make their own decisions regarding their care.”

People were observed to have independence and control of their needs through their daily routines. People engaged with staff discussed their own needs and preferences and staff were timely in their response. We observed staff giving people time to communicate how they wanted their care delivered. People were encouraged, where able, to navigate around the home independently. People were asked for their food choices and during mealtimes staff asked if they wanted to pour their sauce themselves. People had access to kitchen areas and where able, people made their own drinks.

People were in control of their own lives and the support they received, where possible. People’s care records reflected their preferences, interests and individual needs, although some required updating to contain further specific information, which the registered manager was in the process of completing. People had access to specialist equipment to support them with their care needs and to maximise their independence, where required.

People were supported by staff throughout the day and night to ensure their needs were responded to. One relative told us, “Last night [Person’s name] was awake and around 1am they [Staff] came and applied all their creams and made them comfortable and chatted, the staff are so kind and considerate.” People were complimentary of the support they received from the registered manager. One person told us, “[Registered manager name] is nice they get stuck in, they help and are around a lot. They come in and make sure we are alright”. A relative told us, “The new manager emailed us on their first day, we haven’t had a meeting yet, but their door is always open, and they seem approachable.”

Staff knew people well and recognised when people needed additional support. Staff confirmed the process they followed if they were concerned. Staff responded to people’s immediate needs and raised their concerns with senior staff or the registered manager, who ensured the required support was sought.

We observed staff were attentive and receptive to providing people with required care and support as they needed it. For example, during lunch time, we observed a staff member discretely ask if they could remove one person’s plate prior to them eating, as they identified this plate did not contain food in line with the person’s assessed dietary requirement.

Staff were complimentary of the support they received from the management team, particularly the registered manager. Staff members praised the registered manager for the impact they had made in the short period they had been in post. One staff member told us, “The registered manager is really supportive, they welcome all suggestions, and they definitely take action if needed”. The registered manager told us about staff initiatives they had in place, including employee of the month. The registered manager and area director also shared the introduction to the ‘recognition award’ where staff were identified and awarded by people, relatives or staff for a specific reason or act of kindness. For example, one member of staff was recognised for their support of overseas members of staff, in particular making them feel really welcome.

The provider had effective systems in place for staff to access personalised support. The registered manage valued staff and ensured they felt they were contributing to people having the best level of care.