Chartwell Manor Care Home

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

Throughout the time spent at Chartwell Manor Care Home, we observed people being treated with dignity and respect. Staff treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion. People were supported to live as independently as possible. People were encouraged to participate in activities of their choice.

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.

We received mixed feedback from people and their relatives. Some people told us staff did not always spend time with them. Comments included “I often have the feeling that I shouldn’t worry so much about not calling the carers to help me because they are so busy helping others” and “The carers never stay and chat for very long, some knock on the door before coming in but some others do not.” Others were positive about their experiences, which included “Excellent carers. Really good. Very caring and committed” and “The carers are lovely, really nice. Nothing is too much trouble.”

Staff were knowledgeable about people and were able to demonstrate how they promoted people’s dignity.

External parties told us they observed staff were kind towards people.

Staff communicated well with people overall and were knowledgeable about their wishes and backgrounds. Some examples of where improvements could be made to enhance people’s experiences were mentioned in feedback to the registered manager. People’s privacy was respected, such as when personal care was carried out. People’s confidentiality was also upheld.

People were treated as individuals and their care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences. A relative told us about their family member’s previous mobility difficulties and added “They have got her up and walking with a frame, as they promised to do.” Another relative said, “They are considerate, supportive and treat people as individuals.”

All staff we spoke with had a good understanding of people’s needs and knew them well.

People were supported to be as independent as they could be. The premises were fitted with equipment to assist people with daily living tasks, for example, adapted baths and showers. Height adjustable beds and pressure-relieving equipment was provided, where necessary. People were given choices, such as at mealtimes and when drinks or snacks were offered to them.

Care plans provided information about how to support people to be as independent as possible and what their preferences were for being supported.

People were supported to be as independent as possible. They were able to receive visitors, access the community and participate in activities. We received positive feedback about activity provision, including “I have just come back from the summer fete at Chartwell Manor and it was lovely,” “The team that organise the activities and entertainments here are outstanding, they do so much,” “The entertainments and activities are so good. They are always creative in laying on the entertainments. They recently took (family member) out to Ashendon Woods, she absolutely loved it” and “I like going to events, I usually go to the music events, they are good.”

Staff who organised activities were enthusiastic about providing creative and enjoyable opportunities for people to promote their well-being and described a wide range of events they held at the home and outside it.

We saw people’s visitors were greeted by staff and made to feel welcome at the service. There were no restrictions on visiting. Visitors could make use of the bistro to help themselves to drinks and snacks for themselves and their family members. Dogs were also made to feel welcome. Several visitors joined in entertainment with their family members, made use of the garden and clearly enjoyed the events.

A range of activities and entertainment was provided for people. This included a therapy dog, karaoke, church services, celebration of events throughout the year (Victory in Europe day, the Olympic games, Easter, as examples) and music therapy. People told us they also enjoyed exercises, walks and gardening. The service also supported people to fundraise for a local charity.

People’s needs were being met at the service and their wishes and views were taken into account. A relative commented “I feel (family member) is well cared for and the carers are very nice and friendly. They have got to know them well.” Another relative told us “We went through a lot of personal information about (family member). We were asked what they wished for and it was done.”

Staff were able to describe how they communicated with people. Common themes included using clear, short sentences, explaining what they were doing and giving people time. One member of staff told us “I pay full attention to the person, show empathy and understanding.” Another member of staff said “Patience, calmness and kindness is essential when working with vulnerable adults.”

Staff responded to people’s needs, such as at mealtimes and joining in activities. Call bells were answered within good response times. A fire exit alarm was responded to quickly when activated.

Staff told us they were supported and their well-being was promoted. They also said supervision and development opportunities were effective. Staff said they could make suggestions and raise issues. Comments included “I can confidently approach my line manager to make comments and suggestions,” “Our staff meetings are a great forum for us” and “Managers are all supportive and welcoming.” Another member of staff told us how they had been able to change processes with support from management “to help work-life balance within the team.”

Managers told us about how the well-being of staff was promoted and the support given to enable them to deliver person-centred care. This included provision of training to help sexual safety of staff and management of people’s distressed behaviours. The provider held HR surgeries at the home, which staff could use if they had any concerns about anything. Supportive conversations were held with staff where performance needed improvement.