Care South Home Care Services Dorset

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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 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.

People told us staff were kind and caring.Comments included, “The carers are very good. They're always very polite. We can joke about things,” and “All staff are lovely. They have different strengths; they are all respectful and courteous.”

Staff told us they always respected and upheld people’s dignity. A staff member said, “I treat everyone with dignity and respect.”

Feedback from health and social care professionals was positive.A health and social care professional said, “The leaders and their team members demonstrate a professional and empathetic view to their service users / families and carers and will deliver what is required.”

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.

Staff knew people well and were aware of the individual goals people wished to work towards. One staff member said, “I support people in a person-centred way by focusing on their personal needs and conditions. I get to know each individual's preferences and base my care delivery on that. I communicate through the care process which helps me know what their likes and dislikes are. I build rapport with each of my clients, and this helps me a lot as they open up, making it easier for me to know how they prefer things to be done. I also always seek consent from my clients in my work allowing them to make their own decisions.” Another staff member told us, “I always read the care plan which will give me a guide to the specific preferences of that specific person.”

The provider’s electronic system provided detailed information on how people wanted to have their care provided. This included details on how they wished their drinks and food to be made, domestic tasks completed, and care tasks performed.

This meant people’s individual needs and preferences were understood and reflected in their care, treatment and support.

choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

People told us they were given choices, and their independence was promoted.

Staff told us how important it was to ensure people remained as independent as possible for as long as possible. One staff member said, “I support people to maintain their independence by allowing them to do as much as they can independently and only supporting them when needed. I also encourage individuals who are mobile to do as much as they can independently in my presence.” Another staff member told us, “The aim of our care with a lot of people is to encourage them to get back to their independence.We encourage them to do their own personal care, to do their ownmeals. If they need gadgets to help them get independent, we send suggestions to the office, or they can order for themselves.”

People’s care needs were clearly described and accessible to staff.Provider’s electronic system allowed for changes to be made easily and be available to all staff quickly.

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.

Staff were responsive to people and consistently engaged with them. A staff member said, “I have sufficient information on the care plan of people which includes their risk assessments. This helps me to understand the types of risks they are exposed to and also enables me to better support them in their own homes and keep them safe.”

Staff were aware of people’s needs and took time to observe, communicate and engage people in discussions about their immediate needs.Staff knew how to access people’s risk assessments and how to contact the management team if they were concerned about a person.

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

Staff told us they felt supported and happy in their jobs. One staff member said, “l feel part of the team as l always get support when l need it from the whole team.” Another staff member told us, “For example when you are not feeling well and you call the office that you are unable to work. They will allow you time off until you feel fit for work.”

Staff were provided with regular supervisions during which they were able to discuss their wellbeing.

The provider offered an employee assistance programme with access to a range of welfare services. This promoted staff’s wellbeing.