Bowtree Homecare Ltd

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.

People and their relatives told us staff treated them with kindness, compassion and dignity in their day-to-day care and support. Comments included, “They always try to consider my mother’s disabilities in her ability to reach or provide for herself in certain circumstances, and it is that understanding which is so important to us as family members” and “I feel that the support and care my mum receives is exceptional. She is treated in a dignified, respectful manner. Not only do the carers ensure that her basic needs are met, they also play games with her and read to her.”

Information about people’s care and support was treated confidentially and staff respected their privacy. Feedback from partners working alongside the service included, “[Registered manager] ensures that all of her team are trained in GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). This is particularly important in communal living as personal details can be easily shared and spread. [Registered manager] and her team continue to maintain the rights and wishes of the homeowners they support.”

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.

People and their relatives spoke positively about the care and support provided. Comments included, “I am frequently impressed by the little things that the Bowtree team do for Mum” and “I couldn’t be happier with both the care that my mum is receiving from Bowtree and the support that I have received over the last couple of months. I feel that my mum is extremely safe with Bowtree. I have seen firsthand the way they treat my mum with care and dignity but ensure she is safe in her home, particularly with the checks they do before leaving in an evening.”

People’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood and met. Information was available to staff in care plans on how to support this. People were supported to follow their interests. The service had supported people to be able to attend day services to reduce their risk of social isolation.

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 as individuals, in line with their needs and preferences. People and their relatives were involved in planning their care to ensure they had choice and control over their care. Comments included, “I feel that this is one of the areas where Bowtree excel. [Registered manager] sat down with both myself and my mum in advance of her first visit to understand her needs but also what she enjoyed doing, what she would like to talk about etc. This has meant that the team can make the most out of every visit with my mum” and “Yes, we are involved in care planning. Mum’s needs are discussed and reviewed regularly.”

Care plans were person centred and clearly described what support and care people wanted and what they were able and wanted to do for themselves. Care plans clearly evidenced people’s involvement in planning their care and support.

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.

Relatives we spoke with said the service were quick to responded to their loved one’s needs. One relative told us about when they were not available, and their loved one had been unwell. They told us, “Before I could even contact them they had been in the apartment and done a thorough clean up. Every task they do is done well” and “In the past year we felt the need to add a weekend teatime visit as mum was forgetting to eat. Bowtree flagged this up.”

Staff were aware of people’s needs. One staff member said “Health and wellbeing are monitored daily. I will make daily notes on my hand held device, so I am able to monitor any changes. For instance, I might need to put a diet and fluid chart in place if someone is struggling to eat and drink.”

People were supported by a team who were dedicated to responding to people’s needs and ensuring they received the necessary care and support. The registered manager told us about a recent snowfall which made it difficult for staff to attend some visits. To ensure they were able to respond to people’s needs, staff parked their cars as close to people’s houses as they could and then walked the rest of the way in the snow to ensure people received their care and support.

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

People were supported by staff who felt valued by the management and other colleagues. They had a sense of belonging and the ability to contribute to decision making. Comments included, “[Registered manager] and [Care coordinator] have both been fantastic. All of the staff have been fantastic since I started working for Bowtree. I really enjoy my job and I'm happy in my work.” and “It’s a wonderful place to work. Staff are all friendly. You can ring for help anytime and you will get a response.”

The registered manager explained about the processes she had put in place to support staff’s wellbeing. She had implemented a well-being check list which she went through with staff to ascertain how they were feeling about their work life balance. There was an employee of the month with a financial reward. The registered manager was supported by a human resources team to ensure she followed the correct processes. Staff also had access to a free counselling service. The registered manager told us, “We check in with staff but more so if we know they are struggling. We want to make ourselves available and approachable.” To support their own wellbeing as a provider and registered manager they told us, “I have outside support to help