Eco Nights

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

Staff were kind and caring. We observed good interaction from staff to people they supported and staff clearly knew people well. Staff encouraged people to be independent and involved in their care and support. However, improvements were needed to ensure people were supported in a clean environment.

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.

People and relatives told us staff were kind and respected people’s privacy and dignity. A person told us, “I would be happy to return to Eco Nights and have already started to make some friends.” A relative told us, “The staff are caring and respectful. I am involved with [family members] care as they ring me and we go through the care plan and I can add to it as well. I speak to the manager regularly.”

Staff knew people well and were positive about respecting people’s dignity and privacy. A staff member told us, “I always make sure the bathroom door is shut to protect people’s dignity when bathing. I give them space for a bit of privacy. I will wait outside so they know I am still there. I also try to speak to people in quiet private space. All staff here are kind and caring, I have not been here that long but there have been no problems.”

Concerns had been raised by partner agencies and the service was working with them to investigate the concerns raised.

We observed positive interaction from staff working with people during our visit, it was positive to see people looking comfortable and relaxed in the company of staff. A person new to the service returned from college and immediately curled up on the sofa to watch television with staff. However, we were concerned to observe people were not supported in a clean environment.

People’s individual needs and preferences were understood by staff. A relative told us, “The staff know [family member] well. They love it there and looks forward to attending.” Another relative said, “The staff know [family member] really well and they know they do not like too much noise so they will find a quieter area for them.”

Staff were able to tell us about people’s likes and dislikes and what interested them. A staff member told us, “[Person] loves to help and get involved, they help to make dinner, hoovers, they choose what they want to wear for the next day and when to bath.”

Throughout the assessment we observed positive interaction from staff and people’s individual needs and preferences were understood and reflected in their care, treatment and support.

Care plans informed staff how they should support people in a way that met their likes, dislikes and individual preferences. The care plans focused on people’s strengths and what they were able to achieve independently and what support they needed from staff.

Overall, people and relatives were happy with the support they received. A relative told is, “The staff there are wonderful and accommodating, if l have any problems l can approach them.” A person told us staff supported them to access the community, they went to local shops with a member of staff or further afield to Brentwood where there was a larger selection of shops to walk around.

Staff treated people as individuals and were aware of people’s choices, what they liked to do and their communication needs. A staff member told us, “We ask people what they want. I use yes and no with hands with [named person]. We also show pictures to get people’s choices.” Another staff member told us about getting people out and about, “We play games, we have sensory times, at the weekend we got the bus to Canvey and got some food. At weekends they are out and about a lot. We do bake as well.”

People using the respite service attended a day centre run by the provider locally. When people returned, we observed people doing different things either independently or with staff. One person was using their tablet, another person was involved in a craft activity.

Care plans contained information about people’s communication needs, their choices and what they liked to do. People brought any equipment with them they needed to maximise their independence. People’s friends and family were able to visit whenever they wanted. People were supported to access the community and staff spoke of going to the theatre, cinema, zoo trips and attending festivals with people.

We did not look at Responding to people’s immediate needs during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

Staff told us they were fully supported by the manager and registered manager at the service. They told us they could openly discuss any concerns they had. A staff member told us, “It is quite welcoming here. We all seem to get along and it is a good place to work. I find it easy to express my concerns if I have any. It is a very calm and inviting place. I just enjoy it.” Another staff member said, “I am able to have a meal if I want one. The registered manager is always praising the staff, all management do.”

Whilst there were processes in place to support staff such as supervision, team meetings and handovers, oversight needed to improve to ensure all aspects of the environment such as cleanliness and safety were conducive to a positive work environment for staff.