Blanche Caring Heart 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 registered service. This key question has been rated outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 90 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The agency was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Comments from people and relatives included, “I can’t recommend them enough. I have recommended them to other family members. They are really good and do a really good job and I am pleased that I found them. They look after me like I’m their mum they know my families’ names. It’s the attention to detail which is really good”, “Very friendly and efficient and very good” and “The staff are really good. I have no problem with them at all.”

External healthcare professionals also spoke highly of the staff team they said, “During my involvement in this case, the individual reported satisfaction with the care provider, particularly noting the quality of care and their ability to meet the time-sensitive nature of the care needs. The care provider was also responsive to communication. Throughout my involvement, there were no reports or concerns raised by the individual regarding the care provider” and “I would like to formerly acknowledge and commend the exceptional quality of care provided by Blanche Caring Heart’s care team.”

There was a culture of kindness where staff knew people very well including their needs, personal histories, families and desired outcomes. The management team used the spot check visits to observe staff interactions with people and their family members, staff were observed adhering to the highest standards of care set by the agency. People told us and relatives confirmed that staff protected their privacy and dignity at all times. Staff had been trained and gave examples of how they protected people’s privacy and dignity for example, closing doors, curtains and ensuring people are covered up.

Healthcare professionals spoke highly of the agency describing their commitment to people as excellent. Comments included, “Blanche Care continue to provide a good quality of care and demonstrate their understanding of dignity and privacy as well. Their communication skills appear to be good at all times” and “It is rare to encounter a provider that not only meets but exceeds expectations in such a holistic and human-centred way. The family frequently expresses how much they value and love the team, and it is clear that their presence has had a profoundly positive impact.”

The agency treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences.

People told us and relatives confirmed staff treated people as unique individuals. One person said, “They try to make things the way you really like it. For example, for breakfast they ask me how much cheerios I want and how much milk I want in the bowl and remember this for next time.” A relative said, “My [loved one] likes to sing and dance and I’ve witnessed firsthand that the carers do encourage them to have a little bit of a dance. They come in with their iPhone and put some music on and they get into that.” The relative felt their loved none enjoyed this.

People’s care records were individualised and included information about people’s life and work histories, religious and cultural beliefs. Information about people specific communication needs had been recorded within their care plan, staff were aware of people’s specific needs and gave examples of how they put this into practice. For example, a staff member said, “One of my service users doesn’t like to talk at times and will gesture when they want water or food. We will know what they want and confirm verbally, they would nod their head. We don’t put any pressure on them to talk.”

A healthcare professional commented, “It is rare to encounter a provider that not only meets but exceeds expectations in such a holistic and human-centred way. The family frequently expresses how much they value and love the team, and it is clear that their presence has had a profoundly positive impact. They exemplify the kind of person-centred , empathetic care we all strive for in social care services.”

Staff were exceptional at promoting and encouraging people’s independence. People told us their independence was encouraged and promoted at all times. A person when speaking about the staff said, “They see what I am capable of and help to go along with that. They make suggestions as to what might be easy for me and they don’t go ahead and do it, they explain and talk to you and ask if you are comfortable. I can’t praise them enough for that.” Relatives confirmed their loved one’s choices were promoted and their independence maintained during care calls. A relative said, “They encourage [loved one] to be independent by encouraging them to wash their face, hands and arms.”

Staff gave examples of how they supported people to maintain their independence and offer people choices such as, asking people what they wanted to wear, what they wanted eat or drink. Staff knew people well and knew what people were able to do for themselves and the support they required. People’s care records promoted their independence and included details such as, ‘I am able to wash my face, hands but I require assistance from staff to hand me the flannel.’

People told us and relatives confirmed that staff knew people well and responded to their needs appropriately. This included immediate needs such as changes that were required to care calls when a person’s needs had changed or an emergency had occurred. Staff knew what action to take in the event of a medical emergency and gave examples of the action they would take such as, contacting the emergency services, contacting their line manager and contacting the person’s next of kin.

A member of the management team gave an example of the immediate support they gave to a new person using the service who was new to the area. This included making a referral to the local Occupational Therapy team and ensuring the person was registered with a GP in their local area.

Staff spoke highly of their role and felt the management team promoted a positive culture where their well-being was increased. A staff member said, “They, put in place an emergency contact number so if there is an emergency I call them if I am stressed or emotional and someone is always available to help and support you. If you have any concerns they are always there to listen and support you.”

Staff were given regular opportunities to provide feedback about their role through team meetings, supervision meetings and spot checks with a member of the management team. The management team told us they promoted an open-door policy where people, staff, relatives and others could speak to them at any point.