Quality Care

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 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 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. A relative told us, “The carers look after [person] well. They are lovely people.”

Relatives spoke positively about the care people received and told us staff were kind and caring and positive relationships had developed between them. A relative told us, “It really is a wonderful package with wonderful carers. There is a real trusting relationship and bond between us all.”

Relatives told us people’s privacy and dignity was respected. A relative told us, “The carers are gentle, kind and patient. Nothing is too much trouble for them. Personal care is of a very high standard. [Person] is so fresh and clean and always well groomed.” Another relative told us, “They treat [person] with dignity and respect. They will cover [person] with towels during personal care to give them privacy. They [staff] close the curtains during their personal care.”

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. A relative told us, “They [staff] will always ask [person] if they want their music on or the TV.” Another relative told us, “The company have certainly done well by matching [person’s] live in carer to suit them as a person.”

People were supported and encouraged to maintain relationships with people who were important to them and have access to activities and the local community to promote and support their independence, health and wellbeing and enable them to follow their interests. A relative told us, “They will give [person] a memory book and sit with them to look through photographs. Music is played that [person] enjoys. There is a happy and calm atmosphere in [person’s] home. The little cat is also looked after which is a great comfort to [person].”

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 with their independence and encouraged to do as much as they could for themselves. A relative told us, “They [staff] talk away to [person]. They are so kind and are very supportive and reassuring to me.”

Care records showed people and relatives were involved in making choices about their care and treatment. Care reviews with people and relatives took place in which people’s care was discussed and reviewed, and they were involved in making decisions about their care to ensure people’s needs were continually being met. A relative told us, “I am involved with care planning and reviews.” Another relative told us, “The care planning has been excellent, and I have been involved at all times.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Processes were in place for staff to respond to people’s needs in the moment and recognising when people’s needs changed.

Daily records were completed of support provided to people to ensure staff were aware of any changes to people’s conditions or support needs. A relative told us, “With regular reviews of [person’s] care by the manager she has been able to put additional help in for [person] promptly when it was needed. It was recognised that [person’s] further decline required more intervention, so it was agreed that they required a live in carer.” Another relative told us, “If the carers feel [person] is unwell they [staff] will contact me. They were very quick to inform me when [person] had [condition] and we contacted the doctor. They are observant and quick to respond to any changes.”

The service also used an app which was accessible to people, relatives and staff which helped them be aware of the support provided and any changes to people’s conditions or support needs and respond to people promptly. A relative told us, “The carers record things on their app accurately and I have access to it.”

The provider 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 through supervisions, team meetings and having received training in areas such as safeguarding, infection control, moving and handling and end of life care which enabled them to meet people’s needs. A relative told us, “The carers have to help [person] with everything. They are very professional and well trained.”

Staff told us they could raise any concerns, and they were confident they would be addressed. A staff member told us they felt comfortable discussing concerns with the registered manager.

The care manager told us, “We have an open-door policy where staff are free to come in and speak with us about any concerns or difficulties they may be experiencing. This could be financial, emotional, or work-related, such as needing a change to their rota, or simply needing someone to listen to. We frequently speak with our staff and check on their wellbeing holistically, rather than only focusing on their work. We want our staff to feel supported, valued, and comfortable approaching us whenever they need to.”