Seeing the night differently: reshaping care at Court House
A clearer view of the night
At Court House, part of Superior Care Ltd, the shift in night-time care has not come from introducing more activity, but from gaining a clearer understanding of what is actually happening behind each bedroom door.
Supporting a complex mix of frail elderly residents, those receiving end-of-life care, and younger adults with physical disabilities, the home operates in a way that reflects the realities of supporting complex care environments, where different needs, routines and risks must be balanced carefully overnight.
Historically, that balance was managed through routine checks carried out at regular intervals, often hourly, regardless of whether residents needed support.
That approach, while well intentioned, was driven largely by necessity rather than insight.
As Amrit Sumal, Nominated Individual and Director at Court House, explains:
“A night shift is a night shift. You go on what people say, whereas Ally can now tell us what’s actually going on.”
Challenging long-held assumptions
With Ally now in place across all rooms, that reliance on assumption is beginning to shift, as the team can, for the first time, see a clearer and more objective picture of resident activity overnight.
In many cases, that visibility has challenged long-held perceptions, particularly where residents were believed to be unsettled or active during the night but were, in reality, sleeping for extended periods without significant movement.
For Sarah Soley, Admin and Business Manager at Court House, this has been one of the most important early insights:
“Some of the residents who were said to be up all night were actually sleeping. They weren’t really moving.”
In a home of this size, where teams cannot be everywhere at once, that lack of visibility had previously shaped how care was delivered, with staff relying on what they could observe directly at a given moment.
As Sarah reflects: “If you’re at one end of the building, you’ve got no idea what’s happening at the other.”
Moving beyond routine checks
With that clearer view now available, the team has started to move away from routine as the primary driver of care and towards a more considered, needs-led approach, where support is prioritised based on what is actually happening rather than what is assumed to be happening.
This shift aligns closely with a broader sleep-positive care approach, where protecting rest becomes as important as responding to risk.
It has also created the opportunity to reconsider long-established practices, including the frequency of overnight checks.
“You used to check on residents every hour. That’s just how it was done.”
While residents who require repositioning or clinical intervention continue to receive the care they need, others are now less likely to be disturbed unnecessarily, allowing for a more balanced approach that protects both safety and sleep.
This shift is already translating into measurable change, with a 32% reduction in physical checks, 6.5 hours of staff time freed up per night, and 50 instances where care has been delivered closer to when it was actually needed.
Shifting mindset and building confidence
Alongside these operational improvements, there has also been a more gradual shift in mindset, particularly among night staff for whom regular checks have long been associated with good care.
As Amrit describes: “There’s that mindset of, ‘I need to go and check.’ It’s about changing that thinking.”
Changing that perspective takes time, particularly in an environment where routines are deeply embedded, but with increased visibility, ongoing training, and clearer feedback through data, the team is beginning to build confidence in a different way of working.
As Sarah acknowledges:
“Staff don’t like change. They panic first, and then after a while they realise it’s not that bad.”
A more targeted approach to night-time care
What is emerging at Court House is not a removal of care, but a more deliberate and informed way of delivering it, where residents who are resting are left undisturbed, and staff are able to focus their time and attention where it is genuinely needed.
As Amrit summarises: “We want residents to be undisturbed during the night, and only those that need to be checked, to be checked.”
If you are starting to question how night-time care is being delivered in your home, or want to better understand what is happening overnight, speak to the Ally team to see how greater visibility could support a more targeted approach.
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