The Kent Autistic Trust - 11a Curlew Crescent

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. During the inspection, we observed staff being kind and caring towards people and other staff. Staff we spoke with told us how they supported people to maintain their dignity. One staff member told us, ‘We make sure we turn off any audio monitors before starting personal care. If people are more independent, we will stand outside the bathroom door but leave it slightly ajar so they are reassured they are not alone.’

People appeared comfortable in the home, one person told us, ‘I feel safe here, I like to relax.’

People’s relatives also told us that staff were kind and caring, one relative told us, ‘All the staff come to see us when we’re there. they’re always very kind, they wish [person] a nice weekend when we go.’

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 told us they were supported to be independent, one person told us, ‘“I like to have a bath. Someone helps me. I get up when I want. I choose my clothes.’ Another person told us, ‘“I do cooking and cleaning here. I like to have an Indian takeaway.’

People’s relatives also told us their loved ones were treated as individuals, one relative told us, ‘[Person] does have some individual time, the trampolining is on their own…. Staff don’t rush [person], [person] doesn’t appear stressed.’

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 be as independent as possible, one person told us, ‘I had jam and butter on toast for breakfast. Yes I make it.’

People were supported to maintain relationships and networks that were important to them. One person told us, ‘“My family live in [location]. I go to see my brother and stay with him. I can talk to my brother on the phone.

Relatives told us their loved ones were supported to take part in activities that they chose, one relative told us, ‘There is a centre they all or most go to, they go as a group, [person] does art there a lot and other activities there, I know they go to the zoo. Sometimes bowling and ice skating. They go to the beach fairly often. They had a party when [person] turned 50 for all the residents.’

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. Records detailed that when people became unwell, appropriate medical assistance was sought, such as contacting GP, 111 or 999. Staff understood people well and were able to identify if people’s health had deteriorated. People’s care plans clearly detailed how they expressed themselves if they were in pain, this included body language cues as well as verbal cues.

People’s relatives told us staff understood when their loved one needed immediate support, one relative told us, ‘If [person] is in discomfort, [person] will lie down and be still if they have got a headache, staff would know.’

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The registered manager ensured staff wellbeing was consistently considered. Staff we spoke with were positive regarding the support they received from their senior leaders. Staff told us that if they had concerns in their personal life outside work, the senior leaders would do their best support them. For example, if they needed to change their shifts around, senior leaders would do their best to accommodate this.

One staff member told us, ‘The registered manager and deputy manager are really supportive, they will help you try and figure things out.’