Medistaff24

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 70 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

The registered manager told us they spoke with people and their relatives on a regular basis to seek feedback on how staff were, and they always received positive responses. They also told us they complete spot checks to monitor the quality of care, observing staff interactions with people to ensure dignity, respect and compassion were consistently delivered to people. Evidence of these checks was documented and stored in staff files.

We saw reviews from people who had received support which included comments such as ‘Medistaff24 are professional, kind and caring. (Persons name) is a very proactive team leader, suggesting solutions to some of the problems we faced as (persons name) walked the long road to recovery. Thankyou Medistaff24, you were just what we needed in a time of crisis”. Another said “Medistaff24 cared for both (persons name) and (persons name) in their home. The staff were caring, considerate and patient. We could not have coped without them.”

The service 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.

Care plans were comprehensive and showed detailed information on people’s life histories, interests and hobbies, as well as their likes and dislikes. Communication needs were detailed within care plans, helping staff understand how best to share information with people and ensuring people were given the opportunity to express their wishes and preferences.

A relative told us they see regular staff and they know the routine well, they said they even know the dogs name and talk to him, which they felt was “a lovely touch” and made them feel comfortable and not like they had strangers in their home.

Staff supported one person to attend a church service weekly, enabling them to continue practicing their religion in accordance to their beliefs.

The service did not always promote people’s independence in a way that ensured they understood their rights and had choice and control over their care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff described how they supported independence in practice by offering choices and involving people in day-to-day decisions about their care. The registered manager told us they routinely checked what people wanted and aimed to provide support that upheld dignity and encouraged independence.

Whilst the feedback from people was positive about support to make day to decisions with staff showing respect for people's choices, care records did not always clearly demonstrate wider understanding of the mental capacity act or of best interest decisions where people may lack capacity to make decisions in certain situations.

The service 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.

The registered manager told us they aim to provide continuity to people with the scheduling of visits. There were systems and processes to support out of hours on call so people could contact the office in emergency situations and where needed the registered manager was able to deliver care visits themselves to ensure people’s needs were met.

People told us the service was flexible and reliable with visits, and that the office team always responded to any communication. One person told us the timings of visits are mostly good and that staff will always stay for as long as is needed and are very obliging.

A staff member told us they get to know all the people they support as individuals so felt able to respond to their needs, and felt management would listen and respond if they had any concerns about people.

The service cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The registered manager told us they arrange regular informal catch ups for staff to attend such as coffee mornings, they felt this created a more relaxed environment for open discussions and reflection, in turn fostering a culture of openness and trust.

We saw evidence of team meetings and supervisions taking place. Staff spoke positively about the management team, telling us they found supervisions helpful. One staff member told us ‘They treat staff well; the management will always help with personal problems’. Another staff member told us they didn’t like driving during winter months, they told management and they altered their rota to limit the driving required.

Staff reported feeling supported and respected. This positive culture helped ensure staff were enabled to provide compassionate care, tailored to individuals needs and wants.