Quality Homecare

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 70 (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 told us they were treated with respect, kindness and dignity at all times. Comments from people included, “All the girls that come here have been really kind and they’re very caring and very supportive,” “They are kind, friendly and very professional” and “The carers always place a towel over me when giving personal care.” A relative added, “The carers as kind and patient, particularly as my mother can sometimes experience confusion and memory issues. They have demonstrated understanding and sensitivity toward her needs, which has made a positive difference.” Staff supported the same group of people most of the time which meant they got to know each other well and built up a professional rapport. A professional told us, “They have been open to be creative with their approach, and how people’s care is delivered. Demonstrating compassion to meet the needs, whilst ensuring their dignity.” Care plans had a section called, ‘My Service Requirement.’ This section gave details of how to approach people’ care needs in a way that maintained their dignity.

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 knew people’s preferred routines, likes and dislikes and how they preferred to be addressed. Support provided was individual, focussing on the person and their needs. A person said, “There has never been a problem. Perhaps because my care needs are not run-or-the-mill and my whole package is tailor made for me.” Another told us, “My carers have always taken an interest in what I like, don’t like and put up with. We always chat things over, from what food to buy to how I’m feeling.” People’s social and cultural needs were accommodated for example, if people had short notice visits from friends or family or if they needed to attend a place of worship then care calls would be adjusted accordingly. Care plans were written in a way that put people’s needs first, describing the best ways to support people and how to identify when things were not right.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. Staff promoted people’s independence, supporting them to achieve daily tasks and activities for themselves with staff nearby to ensure safety. Care plans described what people could manage to do themselves before then describing the support they needed. People and their loved ones told us they valued people being encouraged to maintain their independence, to keep them active and involved in any way they could. Comments from people included, “My whole care plan is designed to get me back on my feet and regain my independence. It’s taking time, but that’s where we’re heading,”, “The carers encourage me to remain as independent as possible while still providing necessary support” and “As far as possible, I retain my independence and enjoy a quality of life that meets my needs, and my family’s.” Care staff worked with other professionals to support people. Sometimes this was about regaining their mobility following an illness or stay in hospital. Occupational Therapists were involved in supporting some people to achieve these goals, working alongside care staff.

The provider did not always listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment or act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. Feedback from people was mixed regarding the responsiveness of the service office staff. Some people told us that any queries or questions were responded to promptly, but some people told us the opposite and that they were sometimes kept waiting for a response or answer to issues raised. A person told us, “The communication with the office needs improving.” Another added, “Overall, the quality of care from carers is excellent, but poor communication from the office and uncoordinated scheduling have caused avoidable frustration.” However, most people told us the office staff would call and let them know if a carer was running late. There were similar mixed views about care call timings with most people telling us they were mostly on time and that staff stayed for the allocated time. Some people however told us there were inconsistencies. A person said, “It varies. Sometimes early sometimes late. They don’t let us know.” Another told us, “Times can be erratic. Don’t inform me.” Most people said that they received support from the same small group of carers which they preferred as they were able to get to know them well.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff were supported by managers to achieve a positive work life balance. Day-to-day support was provided by a management team who had an open-door policy and encouraged staff to come to the office when they could or needed to talk with mangers face to face. An on-call system operated so support could be obtained remotely if a carer needed help or advice when with a person in their homes. The service had staff trained as mental health first aiders and had a trauma champion. Support was available to staff and was always offered, following a challenging, difficult or upsetting care call. Staff were supported if they needed time away from work at short notice. A staff member said, “They are really wonderful with support. They will replace and cover calls and support us when we have problems.” The service had a positive workforce retention rate with a significant number of staff having worked for the service for over 10 years. The registered manager told us this was achieved by ongoing support for staff and by encouraging those who wanted to progress to succeed with their goals and work ambitions.