Thistle Hill Hall in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, was rated outstanding for being safe, caring, effective, responsive, and well-led following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), on 30 December 2019 & 2 January 2020.
Thistle Hill Hall is a residential care home providing personal and nursing care to people living with mental health conditions.
People who use the service have access to a rehabilitation programme to support their recovery and promote their independence.
People's safety and well-being was a priority for the staff team. Staff had good understanding of how to recognise and report if they felt people were at risk of abuse. All staff had regular training in safeguarding and knew how to put it into practice.
Since the last inspection, staff had created a "pocket of awareness" buddy, which was a quick accessible tool used to remind themselves and people about key information in keeping people safe. This included information about safeguarding principles, first aid, human rights, and consent.
People had their needs comprehensively assessed before being offered a place at the service and were fully involved in these holistic assessments, which included looking at their mental and physical health needs, lifestyle choices and preferences, and goals for the future.
External health professionals commented on the provider's thorough assessment and review process, saying they were, "Effective in meeting all the outcomes identified in the very detailed and ongoing assessments that were completed."
CQC inspectors highlighted equality and respecting people's diversity and individuality was embedded in the staff's approach to enabling people to live the lives they wanted. For example, staff had a deep understanding of how people wished to experience and identify with their sexuality and gender. Staff took a sensitive approach to understanding people's needs and wishes in this area and supported them to develop safe ways of expressing themselves.
The provider recognised the stigma that can come with being diagnosed with mental illness and worked hard to reduce the risk of people being discriminated against. People took part in individual and group sessions about discrimination to help them recognise when this was happening and develop skills to overcome this. This meant people felt more empowered to recognise when they were not being treated fairly and gave them the confidence to act.
Since the last CQC inspection, the provider had continued to develop the service to meet people's needs and enable them to gain more independence. New projects included 'Think Safe Be Safe' sessions to raise awareness of personal safety and encourage people to protect themselves from everyday hazards.
The provider had also introduced a new electronic care notes system. This enabled staff to quickly update information on people's care and identify when people were not taking part in offered activities so more appropriate support could be offered. The new system also freed up staff time so they could spend more time with the people they were supporting.
