Barnet Mencap

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.

This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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.

A relative told us, “The level of attention to kindness, dignity and respect is tremendous.”

We observed a care worker supporting a person who was visiting the office

in a respectful way to promote his independence.

Staff understood and upheld people’s rights, dignity and individual identity. A care worker told us, “I always maintain privacy.” The provider gave staff training in compassionate and trauma informed approaches that took people’s past experiences into account. This helped staff recognise and respond sensitively to people’s experiences and emotional needs.

The provider 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.

The registered manager gathered detailed personal information at referral and reviewed it to ensure support remained tailored to each person.

The provider showed people’s cultural and religious needs, reasonable adjustments, and LGBTQ+ inclusive practice in care plans and reinforced through their active EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] work. Staff described how they adapted care based on people’s preferences and used reviews to keep support personalised.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

We met a person being supported who managed parts of their own support, including making payments for activities, with staff available when needed. This helped the person maintain independence, build confidence in managing their own affairs, and demonstrated that staff encouraged people to stay in control of decisions that mattered to them. Staff supported people to make their own decisions, exercise choice and maintain autonomy in daily routines and activities.

Risk assessments focused on positive risk taking, enabling people to retain independence while staying safe.

Goal tracking records, including examples such as nutrition and community activities, demonstrated how staff supported people to set and work towards personal outcomes based on their strengths and priorities.

A care worker told us, “I respect [people’s] choices and preferences.”

The provider 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.

Support plans contained detailed information about people’s communication profiles, routines and preferences. This enabled staff to recognise and respond promptly when needs changed.

Staff described adapting support immediately based on people’s verbal and non‑verbal cues and escalating concerns to management or external professionals when needed. This meant people received timely and appropriate support, and any emerging concerns were identified and acted on quickly to keep them safe and well.

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

The provider gave staff an induction, with a shadowing and observation process that helped them feel confident and supported in their roles, including training in key areas.

The provider gave staff structured opportunities to reflect on their practice and discuss wellbeing or development needs through regular supervision, appraisals and probation reviews.

The provider also invested in staff development through additional specialist training.

This meant staff were well‑prepared, supported and continually developing their skills, which helped them provide consistent, confident and person‑centred care.