Archived: Care Support Empower

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 inspection of this service. This key question had 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.

People and their relatives spoke positively about their/ their family members support and the kind and caring nature of the staff team. We observed staff speaking with people kindly and in line with the way they wanted to be communicated with. Staff respected people’s dignity and personal space. They made sure people were happy with what was happening and how they were being supported. When people felt anxious or upset staff supported them discreetly and with compassion and dignity. We observed staff to help people feel better quickly and the positive impact this had for people. People were happy and relaxed with the staff team often laughing with them. One person gave a sign they were happy when we asked them if they liked the staff supporting them. Relative’s comments included, ‘‘[Family member] loves the staff team and looks forward to seeing them. It is lovely not to feel guilty about having someone else support them.’’ And ‘‘[Staff] have got to know [family member] like the back of their hand and put their wants and needs first. Absolutely no concerns from us.’’

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met their needs and preferences.

Staff knew people as individuals and knew how they liked to be supported. Staff explained what people’s preferences likes and dislikes were. We observed staff supporting people in line with their individual support needs as noted in their support plans. For example, staff knew how to speak and engage with people in a way that made them more likely to actively be involved in their support. People had been supported to have a more active presence in the community as staff used their interests to encourage them to leave their homes and explore their favoured pastimes. One person was very happy when staff had a conversation with them about one of their interests. Staff were aware of people’s specific preferences, for example always having their bedroom door open a little during the night. One relative told us, ‘‘We visit [family member] regularly and speak with them on the phone and they are always in good spirits. The staff know them really well.’’

Staff supported people to be independent if they chose to do this. People’s care plans showed where people needed support and where they could be more independent. We observed staff supporting and prompting people to be as independent as possible where they chose to do this. For example, a person was supported to walk by themselves as far as possible and another person was supported to cook and prepare their meals. One relative said, ‘‘[Family member] does so much more than what they used to do when they lived with us. Staff have a way with them, and they really enjoy doing things for themselves.’’

We observed staff offering choices to people such as what they wanted to eat or what they wanted to do. Staff respected people’s choices. For example, if people changed their minds about what they wanted to do, staff respected this and changed plans. Staff noted when people enjoyed things and shared this with staff so that people’s choices could be remembered and followed by all staff members. People and their relatives were asked for their opinions on wider aspects of care and were involved in regular discussions about care plans and risk assessments. One relative said, ‘‘[Staff] listen to [family member’s] choices and it is all about what they want to do and how they want to spend their time.’’

Staff responded to people’s immediate needs. People did not have to wait for support when they asked for it and staff were always on hand to support them. People’s support was monitored in areas such as food and drink and showing how they were feeling when they were upset. Any changes that were noted by the staff team were responded to immediately, for example, increasing the monitoring of the support need or referring the person to an external professional. We saw how happy people were when they asked for staff support and staff supported them immediately. People’s relatives told us staff were flexible to meet their needs, for example by changing the timings of care visits if their family member needed the time changed. One relative said, ‘‘[Staff] are very flexible. All we have to do is ring up and request changed, and these are accommodated straight away. Couldn’t ask for a more responsive service.’’

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff enjoyed working at the service and felt well supported by the management team. They had regular discussions and supervisions to discuss their job roles and any support they may need. The registered manager told us they valued the staff team and encouraged them to be innovative and give the best support they could to people.