Clifton Dialysis Unit

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

This is the first time we have rated this service. We rated caring as good. Staff treated people with compassion and kindness, respected their privacy and dignity and took account of their individual needs and choices. Staff were alert and responsive to people’s needs and provided emotional support to people who use the service to avoid any preventable discomfort, concern or distress. The service had systems in place to support staff with their wellbeing, safe working and emotional support.

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.

People who use the service told us staff treated them well and with kindness. They told us staff were friendly and caring and gave us positive feedback about ways in which staff showed them respect and ensured that their dignity was maintained. People told us staff were respectful and maintained their privacy when providing care and treatment.

The staff we spoke with were caring and compassionate. They told us they cared for people and respected their privacy and dignity. They told us people’s needs and preferences were assessed upon admission and they always respected people’s wishes. Managers told us they engaged with people on a daily basis and had built a good rapport with them.

The consultant and dietitian spoke positively about the way staff at the dialysis unit provided care and treatment. The renal matron from the commissioning trust told us they conducted monthly visits to the service and felt the staff across the service were caring and respected people’s privacy and dignity.

We saw staff were discreet and responsive when caring for people who us ethe service. Staff took time to interact with people and those close to them in a respectful and considerate way. We saw people were treated with dignity, compassion and empathy. We observed staff speaking with people discreetly to maintain confidentiality. Privacy curtains used to protect people’s privacy and dignity.

People who use the service told us staff treated them as individuals and took their needs and preferences into account when providing care and treatment. They told us their care and treatment plans were explained to them by staff. People told us staff discussed and understood their clinical, social and personal circumstances and respected their wishes. They told us staff respected their cultural and spiritual needs.

Staff told us they routinely discussed people’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs and care plans were put in place to meet their needs. Staff gave examples of how they respected the wishes of and provided care and treatment for people with protected characteristics, including how they would accommodate their preferences, communication needs and maintain their privacy and dignity. Staff were able to describe how they would make reasonable adjustments for people with learning disabilities, such as allowing flexibility in their dialysis appointments and allowing them to be accompanied by a carer during their treatment.

We observed staff providing care and treatment to people with specific needs such as diabetes and people with hearing difficulties. We observed positive interactions between staff and people. We saw staff were respectful and supportive when they spoke with people. Staff spoke with people in a way they could understand and had a good understanding of their individual needs and preferences.

People’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood and met. People’s care records showed their individual needs and preferences were assessed and individual risk assessments and care plans were developed to meet their needs. Staff accessed interpreter and sign language services from the commissioning trust. The service had a chaperone process to support people. The service had 3 consultation rooms, which could be used by staff to hold private discussions, or prayer rooms, with people and their relatives. Most staff (91%) had completed equality, diversity and human rights training. Staff also completed dementia awareness and autism awareness training as part of their mandatory training.

People who use the service told us staff took into account their individual preferences and promoted independence. They told us staff respected their wishes and enabled flexibility around their treatment times and choices around how and where they received treatment in a way they were comfortable with. People told us staff allowed them sufficient time settle in before they commenced dialysis treatment. People told us they were encouraged them to bring their own activities, such as books, magazines or electronic media devices for them to use during their treatment.

Staff told us most people regularly attended the service for their on-going dialysis treatment and this enabled them to familiarise themselves with each person’s needs and preferences. Staff told us they listened to people and promoted independence as much as possible, including flexibility in treatment session times, encouraging people to weigh themselves and self-administer their own medicines. Staff told us people and their relatives were given information to support their daily living. This included information on transport services and individual dietary plans for people to follow in their homes. Staff told us they could access specialist equipment, such as pressure relieving equipment, if required.

People’s needs and preferences were assessed as part of their initial assessment. Care records showed care plans and risk assessments were routinely reviewed with involvement from people and their relatives. The nature of dialysis treatment meant people had limited independence during their dialysis treatment. However, staff encouraged people to be as independent as possible and respected their choices. This included encouraging them to carry out some of their own tests (such as weighing themselves) and to self-administer their own routine medicines. People could access online services promoting activities such as physiotherapy led exercise classes.

People who use the service told us staff carried out regular observations during their dialysis treatment. They told us staff were calm and reassuring and answered any questions they had about their treatment. People told us they were supported with their emotional needs. They told us they able to voice any concerns or anxieties and were listened to and supported by staff. People told us staff closely monitored them before allowing them to leave the service to ensure they had fully recovered after completing their dialysis session. One person spoke positively about the way staff provided support and reassurance to them when they felt confused and disorientated after their dialysis treatment.

Staff told us people’s risk assessments and care plans were regularly reviewed and updated. They told us people identified at risk were escalated for medical review or transfer to hospital. Staff understood the emotional and social impact that a person’s care, treatment or condition had on their wellbeing and on those close to them. Staff told us people and their relatives could be referred for access to counselling and psychological support if required.

We observed staff regularly engaged with and monitored people during and after their treatment. Staff were alert and responded promptly when called by people. We observed staff providing reassurance to people and supporting them whilst providing care and treatment. People receiving dialysis treatment appeared calm and relaxed.

Staff told us they received good support from the managers: their workload was manageable and they had regular breaks during their shift. Staff spoke positively about the wider support they received from the provider including access occupational health, counselling services. Managers told us staff regularly participated in team-building activities, such as social events, team meals and employee of the month schemes to develop a positive team culture.

Managers had access to a web-based absence management software to maintain, review and update absence records. The service had initiatives to support staff workloads, including flexible shift adjustments and allocation of staff duties to balance workload. Staff could access the provider’s employee support programme for health and wellbeing.