Courage Healthcare 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. This is the first assessment for this newly registered service. This key question has been rated good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 65 (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 treated people with kindness, compassion and dignity and respected their privacy. Staff spoke warmly and respectfully about people they supported and demonstrated a caring, patient approach, particularly when providing personal care. Staff described explaining each step of care, closing doors and curtains, and maintaining people’s dignity during intimate tasks. One staff member told us they ensured people were supported calmly and kindly during periods of distress, using reassurance and familiar activities to reduce anxiety. Care records showed staff understood how people preferred to be supported and took time to build trusting relationships, which helped people feel safe and respected.

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.

Staff treated people as individuals and understood their personal histories, preferences and communication needs. Care plans contained information about what mattered to people, including how they communicated, their routines and activities they enjoyed. Staff demonstrated knowledge of individual communication methods, such as the use of PECS and visual planners. A healthcare professional confirmed that people were treated as individuals and encouraged to take part in activities meaningful to them.

Staff supported people to take part in activities that promoted physical and emotional wellbeing, such as walks, visiting animals, and using exercise equipment.

People did not always know their rights and have choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. The provider did promote people’s independence.

Staff supported people to maintain and develop their independence where possible. Staff promoted choice in everyday decisions such as clothing, meals and activities and supported people to take part in community outings in ways that reflected their preferences and needs. However, bigger decisions where mental capacity assessments and best interest meetings should have been considered had not always occurred. For example, people had not signed tenancy agreements. Tenancy agreements were not explicitly clear that people could commission care from which ever care provider they wanted.

Staff were able to give examples of supporting people to make choices using accessible communication tools and respecting decisions when people chose not to take part in activities.

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.

The provider responded to people’s immediate needs and ensured support was delivered by staff who knew people well. People were supported by a consistent staff team, which enabled staff to recognise changes in mood or health and respond promptly. Staff described updating care plans and risk assessments following incidents so that support could be adjusted quickly and risks reduced. Care records showed that staff monitored people’s wellbeing, medicines and daily routines and escalated concerns to managers and healthcare professionals when required.

The provider did not always care about and promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not always support or enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

The provider did not always support workforce wellbeing and enablement effectively. Staff told us they felt cared for by managers and were able to raise concerns. However, we found that supervision and appraisal processes were inconsistent and often relied on staff self‑assessment, with limited managerial oversight. Records also showed staff frequently worked many days in a row without adequate rest, which increased the risk of fatigue and reduced opportunities for reflection and support.