Unique Personnel (UK) LTD - LEWISHAM

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. This is the first inspection 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.

People were treated with kindness, empathy and compassion and their privacy and dignity were respected. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. People and their relatives were positive about the kind and compassionate attitudes from office staff and carers. They told us staff treated them with respect. A person added, “My main carer is very good and would act if I was unwell. They always treat me with dignity and respect.” Another person told us, “The carers have been coming a few years now and they are lovely; so kind, so polite, they could not do better.” Relatives were complimentary about how staff treated their family members. A relative said, “[Family member] is absolutely treated with dignity and respect, cannot fault the carers, all lovely. There is a care plan in place, which was updated yesterday. Staff all handle [family member] gently and with care.”

Staff told us the registered manager monitored how they engaged with people during spot checks to ensure people were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity. A staff member said, “It is important for me to check clients are OK, are treated with compassion and feel valued, happy and loved.”

Staff and managers 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 had access to information about people’s culture and background before they started working with them. A staff member explained that they supported people from a diverse community and reminds herself always that she is there for them and to never discriminate. They said, “People of different religions may need different meals at different times, and I always consider this.”

Staff and managers promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People and their relatives had positive experiences in how the provider ensured they were fully involved in all of the decisions related to their care. A person said, “The carers encourage me to do things myself if I can.” A relative told us, “Independence is definitely encouraged by staff” when discussing their family member and how the service supported them to be in control of their care as much as possible. A staff member said, “I would initially check care plans but encourage people to do as much for themselves as they possibly can.” Staff provided detailed examples of this and a staff member spoke of a person who had a recent illness which affected their movement. The staff member told us, “I encourage [person] to wash the areas of their body they are able to reach and help them complete exercises to remain physically independent.”

Staff and managers listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. They responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. People and relatives told us staff were responsive and communicated and interacted with them in a kind and compassionate way. A relative said, “The carer is well trained, and understands all [family member’s] needs. The carer is like one of us in the house, they would know what to do if [family member] was unwell or had an accident.” Another relative commented, “Yes, the office let me know of any changes and if anyone else is covering; not ever had to make a complaint.” Staff knew of the actions they should take to respond to people’s needs and in particularly if there was an emergency. A staff member said, “I had noticed that somebody had fallen I would immediately ring 999, report to the office and make them comfortable on the floor and not make and attempt to move them.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of its staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff said they were well supported by the provider and told us their wellbeing was taken seriously. A staff member said, “I think it is important that staff member’s mental health is considered and that often flexible work is arranged for people who have childcare needs for example.”