Lifeways Paragon Limited

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 the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question requires improvement. At this assessment the rating has changed to 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.

Staff treated people with kindness and compassion. People and their relatives described staff as kind and respectful. Comments included, “Staff are very kind to [Person],” “They seem kind and help [Person], staff treat [Person] with respect” and “I think staff are very caring and committed to supporting [Person].” Our observations of care and conversations with staff confirmed they had an empathetic approach and had formed close bonds with the people they supported.

People and their relatives told us staff respected their privacy and their dignity was maintained when staff delivered their personal care. A relative told us, “They respect [Person’s] dignity and always ensure her pads don’t show, personal care is always provided in the bathroom, there are privacy blinds in the bathroom.”

The provider treated people as individuals and developed care plans that clearly outlined people’s preferences. Care plans were written in a way that focussed on people’s likes, dislikes and preferences. People had individual communication care plans and our observations found staff understood people’s communication needs. For example, we observed staff using visual aids to communicate with a person. This enabled the person to choose the activity they wished to take part in, using the visual aids to decide where they wanted to visit and what mode of transport they wanted to take.

However, we found people’s cultural needs were not always explored or recorded in sufficient detail. The provider supported people from a range of nationalities; however, there was limited evidence within care plans to demonstrate how people’s cultural heritage and any traditions they followed had been considered in the planning and delivery of their care. We discussed our findings with the provider to ensure they reviewed and improved this aspect of care planning.

Theproviderdid not always promote people’s independence, so people did not always have choice and control over their own care. While staff described how they promoted people’s choice and control of their day-to-day care, care records did not always assure us this approach was followed. For example, we reviewed several people’s care interactions and found their choices and preferences in areas such as getting up and going to bed, activities, what to wear and what to eat and drink were not always well recorded. Further improvement was needed to ensure records showed people were included in decisions and had choice over their care.

We received mixed feedback from people and their relatives regarding access to activities. While some spoke positively about the support provided, others felt more encouragement was needed to meet people’s social needs. Comments included, “I think staff could take [Person] out a bit more,” “[Person] needs a routine of more activities” and “[Person] would like for more activities to be organised.” Although records generally showed people had access to community and home-based activities in line with their preferences, evidence did not always assure us people were consistently encouraged to participate. For example, records for 2 people showed prolonged periods spent in bed, with limited evidence of staff supporting or promoting social engagement during these times. We shared our feedback with the provider so they could review and improve this area.

Staff responded to people's immediate needs and took appropriate action to minimise any discomfort, concerns or distress.People received care and support from a consistent staff team who knew them well and understood their needs. Our review of records found staff supported people effectively during periods of emotional distress to minimise the impact on their emotional wellbeing. Staff were able to relay the action they took in relation to health concerns, which included contacting health professionals when needed. Our review of care records showed the necessary action was taken in response to health concerns.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to deliver person-centred care. Effective systems were in place to ensure staff felt supported in their roles such as supervisions, staff surveys and team meetings. Staff told us they felt supported by leaders and felt proud to work at Lifeways Paragon Limited. Comments included, “I feel very supported. I have a one to one every 3 months and regular team meetings. I feel able to voice anything and feel listened to,” “Manager is very supportive and we are asked for any ideas or suggestions” and “When a person supported passed away, they were very supportive they knew how much it affected me.”