Magnolia House

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

We assessed all quality statements within the caring key question. People were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion. Staff respected their privacy and upheld their dignity. People's care plans demonstrated their views and opinions were sought and they were able to have their support needs designed to meet their individual needs. Staff responded promptly when people required support. Workforce wellbeing and development was actively promoted.

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 and family members were positive about the kindness of care staff. People told us, “They are lovely girls; nothing is too much for them”. And, “Staff are kind and caring they have a chat and say “good morning” – everything I really want”.

The manager described how they gathered information from people or their relatives about their life histories, families and interests. This meant staff could support them in the best way. They and staff clearly demonstrated they cared about people and provided kind and compassionate care.

All external professionals told us they felt staff at Magnolia House were all kind and caring. For example, one external health professional said, “All staff and managers I have found to be welcoming, warm and keen to help and this also has been my experience when with a resident should they request help via call bell. When I speak alone with clients they appear to have positive responses and I have not received negative feedback.”

During both site visit days we observed a positive caring culture where staff showed kindness and compassion to people and clearly knew them well. For example, we heard a person asking staff for help. The staff member responded, “Of course I can help you, what can I do?” We also observed friendly banter and laughter between people and staff, and it was clear there was a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Overall people felt staff understood their individual needs. One person said, “Staff know me very well – what I like and dislike”. Another person said, “Staff do know about me but they forget sugar in my tea sometimes.” One person told us, “Sometimes they come in and wake you up and get cracking and I’m not quite ready.” They said they had not told anyone about this. The manager subsequently met with the person to further clarify how they wished to be cared for. People were routinely asked their views on the service. This was done through informal one to one conversation with staff and through feedback surveys. People also had reviews of their care and staff discussed with them when there were changes to their health and contacted external professionals as and when needed.

A member of the management team told us how they purchased goat’s milk and cheese from a local supermarket for one person who preferred this and said that any individual dietary needs could be met. The manager said, “We provide a person centre service”, by “getting to know people and getting individual information and making sure the staff know this and follow it.”

Staff clearly knew people well and understood their individual needs, wants and wishes. For example, a staff member described particular things one person was interested in doing to occupy their time.

Care plans were individual and person centred and supported person-centred care and choice. People’s care records contained information about their life history and things that were important to them. Any protected characteristics under the equalities act 2010 were identified as part their needs assessment. People's religious beliefs and needs were considered, and they had a religious minister who visited the service.

People had access to the equipment they needed to maintain independence and were involved in decisions about their life and how much support they needed from staff. A person told us, “Staff wash me and do my hair – I do my teeth.” People and their family members told us they were supported to maintain contact with each other, and visitors were always welcome in the home at any time. One family member said, "We are always welcome in the home”. Some people regularly went out with friends or family. Others said they would like to be able to go on outings organised by the home more frequently.

The manager explained that they wanted to improve activities provision and described their plans to do this. For example, they told us that when the activities staff member was required to cover care duties additional funds were available for external entertainers to visit the home. They were also trying to find volunteers to visit people who spent their time in bedrooms.

We observed staff speaking to people offering choice and involvement in decisions. We saw family members visiting when they wanted, and they were involved in supporting decisions about care. We also saw staff taking time to support people to be independent such as walking with them to the dining room at mealtimes.

Care plans included detailed information about people’s needs and what they could do without support. For example, one person was being supported to increase their independence and staff waited for them outside whilst they showered in case they needed any assistance. The level of detail in care plans helped ensure staff provided consistent care and people were supported to be as independent as possible.

Most people felt staff responded promptly to their needs. One person told us when they used their buzzer to get staff, “They come running.” However, another person said, “I think they are short of staff sometimes”. External health professionals felt staff responded appropriately and promptly to any changes in people’s health or care needs.

Staff told us they had completed relevant training to enable them to understand and meet people’s needs. Staff clearly knew people well and understood their needs and risks. Where people had been assessed to need equipment, staff ensured this was in place or near the person and reminded them to use it where needed. Staff communicated well with people and gave them time to respond. The manager monitored call bells and undertook monthly reviews to ensure these were responded to promptly by staff.

Staff were available to offer support and reassurance to people whenever they needed.

All staff we spoke with told us they enjoyed working at Magnolia House. One staff member said of the management team, "Nothing is ever too much trouble and I always fulfil my hours weekly due to managements flexibility.” Another staff member told us, ”Everyone is treated as an equal and this is important to me as past experiences in previous employment were not always pleasant.” The manager told us they supported staff and encouraged them to share any concerns. They told us how some staff working patterns or roles had been amended to better enable them to continue working. This included ensuring one staff member always had their evening break at a set time so they could say goodnight to their child and flexible working patterns to enable staff to meet personal caring responsibilities.

Staff all received regular formal one to one support sessions. A member of the senior management team was undertaking mental health first aid training and developing mental health wellbeing plans for staff who wished to complete these. Staff had the opportunity of providing anonymous feedback or suggestions via a suggestions box or responding on the electronic system how their shifts had gone. This meant the management team could respond promptly to any issues. The management team had systems in place to acknowledge and reward staff who were experiencing personal issues or who had gone above and beyond in their work.