Home Healthcare Delivery - South Tyneside

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’s approach to kindness, dignity and respect was monitored through spot checks. During these, staff were observed to maintain people’s dignity, for example by ensuring they were appropriately covered during personal care. A relative confirmed staff treated people kindly, telling us, “The team who take care of [person] are lovely, they always ask questions and speak very kindly.”

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.

Care plans reflected personalised approaches to care, outlining specific requirements for each person. Daily notes further demonstrated that care was being delivered in line with these individual needs, showing consistent and tailored support.

Staff knew how to describe person-centred care. One staff member stated, “We have a lot of clients with such a wide variety of needs so it’s important to know what each person’s requirements and wishes are.” This was reflected in practice, with care being adapted to ensure each person received appropriate and individualised support.

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

People were supported to remain as independent as possible and had choice and control over their daily lives. Staff told us that promoting choice was an important part of their role, and that people were encouraged to express their preferences in all aspects of their care. A person told us, “The staff help me with everything I need, I can go out shopping and I’m supported with this.” This showed staff involved people in decisions about their care and tailored support to individual wishes.

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.

Staff showed an understanding of people’s needs, including recognising signs of pain and changes in presentation, so they could respond promptly when needed. Staff told us they had received training to identify changes or deterioration in people’s health and wellbeing, which helped them take timely and appropriate action. Daily notes confirmed that when changes in behaviour were identified, the provider followed these up, including by making referrals to other healthcare organisations where appropriate.

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

Staff wellbeing was supported within the service, and staff gave positive feedback about the working environment and management support. The provider showed flexibility in arranging rotas to help staff manage childcare commitments. Staff were also supported if they needed help with personal issues, additional guidance or advice. Training and development opportunities were provided to help staff build their skills and feel confident in their roles.

There was also evidence of return-to-work meetings being completed, showing that staff were supported following absence and that appropriate measures were in place to promote their wellbeing and support a successful return to work.