Housing 21 - Oak House

There were sufficient numbers of suitably trained staff to meet the needs of people living at Housing 21 – Oak House. Whilst people had a set schedule of when carers would visit to support them, they benefitted from being able to call for staff assistance if they needed it amytime over 24 hours. People said staff were responsive to their needs even where this was outside of their scheduled care hours.

People told us the staff were kind and caring. There was an evident culture of kindness in the service which was promoted by the senior leadership team, the management team and care staff who went over and above to enhance people's lives.

The management team and care staff recognised the importance of protecting people they cared for from the risks of social isolation and boredom, even where providing social support wasn't part of their agreed care plan. Staff went over and beyond to ensure people remained engaged and were not lonely, giving up their own time to visit people which made them feel valued.

People who required support to maintain good nutrition and hydration told us they received the support they needed.

Information about people's preferences in coming to the end of their life were documented. The service worked well with other agencies to ensure people had a comfortable, pain free death and could remain in their own home as per their wishes.

People were supported to have maximum choice and control of their lives and staff supported them in the least restrictive way possible and in their best interests; the policies and systems in the service supported this practice. People told us staff were respectful, asked for their consent and gave them the privacy they wished for.

People were supported and enabled to be independent. The service had provided support to people in a way which meant that they were eventually able to reduce the amount of support staff needed to provide so they could live a more independent life.

Where required, people were supported to make appointments with other healthcare professionals and attend appointments. Staff went over and beyond to accompany people to appointments when relatives were unable to do so. This reduced anxiety for some people.

People were actively involved in the planning of their care and the way they wanted this delivered. People had access to several methods of giving feedback on the service they received. People's feedback was acted on.