Academy Homecare Services

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 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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion.

People and relatives told us staff provided kind and compassionate support. One person told us, “They are very kind”; while a relative said, “They spend time talking to [my relative] and reminisce with them over a cup of coffee - they are all friendly, gentle and sociable.”

Staff explained, “They’re like family in some ways – we do whatever we can to make them feel cared for.”

The provider told us they are proud of the caring nature of the staff team.
 

The provider did not always treat people as individuals or make sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences.

Care plans did not always reflect people’s individual needs and preferences. For example, people’s care plan failed to make accurate reference to their individual health needs and how they wanted these to be met by staff. This meant people were at risk of their individual needs not always being consistently understood by staff.

People and relatives told us staff took time to get to know them and understand their individual needs. One relative, said, “[My relation] has a regular group of staff who have got to know them well and understand them and how they need to be supported.”
 

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 make day to day choices about when to get up, what to eat and how they wished to spend their time. One person told us, “Staff say to me, ‘I don't want to take over’, which gave me a sense of respect and dignity from them.”

People who had the mental capacity to make decisions regarding their care for themselves had been involved and consented to the information their care plans detailed about their needs and support.

Where people were unable to make decisions for themselves, staff got to know people well and were able to present informed choices to support people making decisions.
 

Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment

Some people and relatives told us the times of people’s calls were not always provided as scheduled, and they were not always made aware of this from the provider or staff. One person told us, “They should be here by [scheduled time], but if no one is here by 1 -hours later I have to contact the office to see where they are. It does happen every so often, but I'd just like a call back to tell me what's happening. I have mentioned it and they said that they understood but then it still happens.”

Care records showed people did not always receive calls as they were scheduled to receive, and while the provider had completed some call audits, these were not completed on a consistent basis and failed to identify the issues people told us about. This meant people’s immediate needs were at risk of not always being provided at required times.

People and relatives told us staff responded well to people’s needs while they were present during calls.
 

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff.

Staff told us they felt listened to and very well-supported by the provider. One staff member told, “They are very good”; while another said, “They are wonderful. Very approachable and supportive” This contributed to a culture in which staff felt respected and valued.

The provider explained how they ensured they could always be contacted by staff, and how they appreciated the work staff were responsible for. The provider demonstrated a commitment to providing staff a positive work-life balance.