Northcott House Residential Care and Nursing Home Also known as 1-684385445

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• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

At this assessment we did not assess all quality statements within this key question. The scores of these areas have been combined with scores based on the rating from the last inspection completed in November 2023, which was good. The overall rating for this key question remains good. The atmosphere in Northcott House Residential Care and Nursing Home was relaxed and friendly and we observed positive engagement between people and staff. People’s choices and preferences were recorded in their care plans and staff knew people well. Staff supported people with kindness, dignity and respect. People were encouraged by staff to remain as independent as possible and were given support to do so.

This service scored 70 (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 provided positive feedback about the service and the care received. Comments included, “The staff are very good”, They’re [staff] excellent. I have a close relationship with everyone.” The staff are very helpful. [Person] seems less stressed here, he’s calmer”, If person gets upset, the nurses sit with them. They put their arms round her. They’re very kind and caring” and “The carers are first class.” People and relatives told us, privacy and dignity was respected and upheld at all times. One relative commented, “They [staff] always pull the curtains and shut the door when they change him.” Another relative said, “They [staff] never come in without knocking the door. Even if it’s open, they knock first.”

Staff were able to tell us about people’s needs, including their preferences about how their care was provided. A staff member said, “I have a good understanding when it comes to caring for people with a memory impairment. I will look for ways to support them in a way they are happy with, explain what I am doing and include them in their care.” Another staff member told us, “I really love my job, the people here are wonderful. I love to see them happy and smile it makes me feel I can really make a difference.” Another staff member said, sometimes its just the little things that can make a person’s day, just sitting with them and talking about their hobbies or family can make all the difference.” The manager was visible to people and staff, would speak to residents daily and observes staff practices and interaction to help ensure people received the care they required and were treated in a kind and caring way and with dignity and respect.

Throughout all the assessment visits the inspection team did not observe any negative interaction between people and staff. There was a relaxed and friendly atmosphere within the home. Observations were positive with lots of staff engagement with people. Staff spoke with people in a kind and caring way and involved and included people in conversations.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

People told us they were supported to be independent and were able to make choices about their care. Comments included, "I’ve lost my mobility. They [staff] say 'you can’t do that, leave it for us' and I do. Sometimes I say, ‘Leave me to sort it out’ and they do", “I can choose when I get up or go to bed” and "If i want a shower I only have to ask and they [staff] will help me, they [staff] are very good like that." Throughout the inspection we heard people were given choices about what they eat, where they spent their time and what they did. People’s care plans and daily records demonstrated people’s abilities and preferences were known by staff. During our review of peoples care records we noted on one occasion a persons preference for a particular gender of whom they received personal care from was not respected, although consent was gained from the person. On discussion with the manager it was evident they were aware of this and showed us evidence of how this had been addressed to prevent reoccurrence. People were supported to partake in activities. People’s comments included, “I do all of them [activities]; cooking, painting, playing cards and quizzes. It can get boring sitting here all day and when I’m painting, I feel taken out of myself”, "I like the physical exercises” and “They [staff] try their best with the activities; nothing’s too much bother.” Where people chose to stay in their rooms, or were cared for in bed, the activities member of staff had been allocated time to provide individualised activities, including hand massages, playing their favourite music, and chatting. A person who spent their time in their room told us, “They [staff] are always in and out for a chat.” People were supported to maintain relationships and networks important to them. A relative said, “I’m welcome. The girls know me. I can come any time, day or night. I went on a trip to a garden centre; it was nice and there’s plans to go for a meal."

From discussions with staff and leaders it was evident they know people well and understood their needs and abilities. Staff were able to describe how they supported people to be independent and actions they could take should a person’s independence become impaired. This included reviewing types of equipment to support the person, providing additional support and considering referrals to other professionals such and speech and language therapists and occupational therapists. The manager described processes used to review the quality of care provided to people. These processes included, gathering regular feedback from people and relatives, the completion of quality assurance questionnaires, observations of practice and people and relative meetings.

Throughout the assessment visits there was a calm, relaxed and happy atmosphere within the home. We observed staff promoting people’s independence positively. People’s choices and decisions were respected by staff. Staff approached people in a kind and respectful way and this was responded positively by people. People appeared to have good relationships with the staff, we heard happy conversations between staff and people. During our assessment visits we observed people were supported to partake in a range of activities including, mind and memory games, music, arts and crafts and exercise classes. We saw many people enjoying the activities provided. We observed a lunchtime experience and saw people were offered a choice of what they ate and drank. People were offered support to eat, but also encouraged to eat independently. One person was provided with a plate guard, so she was able to eat without assistance. One person who didn’t like the meal was offered an alternative. People told us they were supported to be independent, and we observed equipment in place to support with this. Including, specialised cutlery and walking equipment.

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.

We did not look at Workforce wellbeing and enablement during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.