Devonshire House and 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 cared for by staff who were kind and respectful. During our visit, we saw staff engaging with people in a gentle and sensitive manner. We saw positive interaction between people and staff, including chatting, laughing, and joking. Staff supported people with group and individual activities as they preferred. Staff promoted people's independence and choice. They supported people to have choice in their own support and to make decisions about their care where possible. The policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People were encouraged and supported to maintain relationships and networks that were important to them. The Mission Statement for the service was displayed in various places throughout the home and said, ‘Together we are dedicated to enhance the wellbeing of all through quality, excellence and fun’. We saw many examples of how this Mission Statement was being delivered in practice.

This service scored 85 (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 they found the staff kind, compassionate, caring and enthusiastic. One relative told us, ‘The lifestyle team do a great job, there are now 4 staff rather than the previous team of 2 and they seem enthusiastic and inventive.’

Staff relationships with people were caring and supportive. Staff spoke confidently about people’s specific needs and how they liked to be supported. Through our conversations with staff and managers, it was clear they were committed, kind and compassionate towards people they supported. Staff treated people with dignity and respect when helping them with daily living tasks.

We saw that Health and social care professionals had responded to a survey request from the home in May 2024. None of the professionals that had responded questioned the commitment of the staff and their caring approach.

We observed kind, caring and compassionate interactions between people and staff on both days that we were present in the home. We saw planned activities, of multiple types, being enjoyed by people, in various locations around the home. We did not see any occasions that gave us cause for concern.

People told us that the care staff knew about their individual needs and preferences and this knowledge was used in their care, support, and to deliver their social, cultural and religious activities. From our contacts with people, we heard and read that the role of peoples’ families was supported by the service, and they were supported to be involved in their relatives care and support.

Staff and management understood the importance of supporting people to have stimulating activities, that they enjoyed and were delivered to meet their needs and preferences. The development manager told us there was now a systematic person centred engagement programme underway called the ‘Lifestyle Programme’. This was continuing to be developed by both the provider’s and service’s, management and activities teams. Part of this programme was called ‘Magic Moments’. An example of this was, where a gentleman who had been a lorry driver in his working life, met and chatted with a lorry driver, and saw around his vehicle. He was reported as being thoroughly engaged throughout and being ‘very happy’. The provider had invested considerably in the facilities at the service, to make communal areas more person centred and to support a variety of activities. There were multiple communal areas throughout the home. Through subdivision and refitting, areas had been created for; private hairdressing and a barber, musical activities, small group dining, kitchenette facilities with fridges and food preparation equipment, a private dinner party room, a bar area, and a sensory area. A bowling alley was being built, and while being developed an activity person was bringing in a mobile wooden bowling alley for people to use.

As we walked around the care home, we noted there was a good atmosphere. It was quiet and relaxed, and the staff of all grades were smiling and friendly. We saw the activity coordinator together with staff engaging in a large hair and beauty group activity, in the open area part of one of the large communal rooms. It was PRIDE Day, there was a PRIDE banner displayed and many of the staff had been supported to dress up to celebrate the day. People with differing abilities had been supported to come to the group from all over the care home. There was a lot of laughter and happy interactions between the staff and the people at the session. This was the activity described for the day on the group activities list for the week, which was displayed for all to see on the wall of the communal room.

People were involved with planning their care and support. Records reviewed showed that everyone had a completed ‘An about Me’ record listing each person’s interests. There was evidence to show that activities, often individual, had been put in place for each person. For example, one person had been a musician in their working life and music was central to them. The service had purchased equipment to support them to attend live music sessions, and the lifestyle staff sang with them individually. All of the staff were engaged with lifestyle activities and not just the ‘Lifestyle’ activities team. The manager had devised and implemented ‘The World Cruise’ activity, one day identified each month when a particular country in the world was celebrated in the service through activities and food.

People told us they were supported to make choices with staff support, such as about what they wanted to eat, how they wanted to spend their time, and what activities to take part in. People and, if appropriate, their relatives participated in care plan reviews. One relative wrote of their parent’s recent review, ‘The new manager of moorland view one has just undertaken my monthly call about my father, and this was the most comprehensive discussion I have had since these calls started four years ago. Which is super.’ People were supported to be as independent as possible. Some people were able to leave the building independently and without support or supervision. Others were actively supported to go out individually or in groups with staff or their families.

Staff spoke about people with kindness and compassion. They knew people well and were observed providing person centred care when people needed comfort. One staff member told us, “Sometimes in the afternoon we do get time to sit with people and we can paint nails or just to chat with people and it is just nice to try and make people laugh and smile. When they are happy, I am happy.” Staff knew people well and supported people in line with their preferences and interests.

The provider and staff ensured people's care plans had current information to promote their independence in areas such as mobility, communication and participating in activities both in the home and in the local community.

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.