Royalcare- Thanet

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

Caring – this means we looked for evidence that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question Good. At this assessment the rating has remained Good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

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.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. Staff confirmed they had enough time to provide people’s care and were not rushed. A staff member told us, “I have enough time to complete care visits properly”.

Staff respected people’s privacy and decisions they had made. For example, when people had not consented to have pictures taken of their wounds staff were reminded to keep detailed notes and respect the person’s decision. When people had given permission, their care notes were accessible to their relatives, this was so relatives could be assured people had received their care as planned. Staff told us, “I always explain what I am doing and ask permission before doing anything” and “I always ask people about their preferences before doing anything. If they cannot tell me, I refer to their care plan”.

Staff and leaders treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Information was provided to staff about people’s life history and how this may impact on their current life. For example, their profession and how speaking about topics they were interested in could help to build relationships with people.

Staff knew who played an important role in people’s lives, such as friends and relatives. These people were supported to be involved in people’s care, with the person’s permission, so they could offer reassurance and support.

Staff and leaders promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Staff described to us how they supported people to make choices around all areas of their life.

Staff had supported people to achieve their goals of remaining as independent as possible or regaining independence they had lost. This included supporting people to follow exercise routines from physiotherapists to strengthen muscles and improve their mobility. Staff explained to us how they supported people to remain independent, including, “I encourage people to do things for themselves where possible. For example, during personal care I ask if they can wash their own face or private areas” and “If they are capable of doing something, I encourage them to do it themselves and provide support where needed”.

Care plans included information for staff about how people communicated their needs and preferences and any support they needed. Such as allowing people time to consider what was being said to them and to formulate their response. People confirmed staff communicated well with them and supported them with any communication tools such as hearing aids. As part of the initial assessment people were asked if they had a preference for the gender of staff who provided their support and this was respected as far as possible.

Staff and leaders listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Staff were able to give us examples of how they had responded to people’s requests. This included referring people to the local hospice service for assessment and pain management. A person’s friend had informed staff they had noted a significant improvement in the person following the increase in their care package.

Leaders had contingency plans in place for emergencies including who was a priority to receive care and why. Priorities included frailty and illness, pain relief or if others were not able to provide support. This helped the registered manager deploy staff to those most in need and at the highest risk of harm.

Staff took immediate action when important records, such as do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions, were not retuned when people were discharged from hospital staff. On occasions staff had gone to the hospital in their own time to collect the documents to make sure they were always with the person and their decisions were respected.

When the water supply to people’s homes had been disrupted, staff obtained bottled water for them, to ensure they stayed hydrated and their hygiene was maintained. We recommend the provider supports people to be added to the water priority services register to ensure people always get the support they need from their water provider.

The provider and registered manager cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. A staff wellbeing charter was in place which aimed to ensure staff felt ‘supported, respected, listened to and able to ask for help when needed’.

Work was planned to give staff sufficient time to travel between people’s homes, making sure they were not rushed and people’s care was not cut short. A staff member commented, “I have time between calls and my longest journey is usually five to ten minutes. Additional time has been provided due to local roadworks”. Staff were encouraged to plan their leave to ensure requests were authorised and people continued to receive their care as planned.

The weather was extremely hot around the time of our assessment. Staff had spoken to the provider about the heat and they had agreed staff did not need to wear their uniform and were allowed to wear cooler clothes. However, they were required to wear their identification badge at all times so people could be reassured they were genuine Royalcare Thanet staff.