Voyage (DCA) Doncaster

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• 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. This is the first assessment for this newly registered 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 80 (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. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. Members of staff were kind and caring. They knew the people they supported. People had dedicated members of staff in their support teams which enabled good quality care which was consistent. A relative told us, “[Members of staff] go above and beyond for [family member]. They have a lovely garden and [members of staff] encourage [family member] to water the flowers. [Members of staff] plait [family member’s] hair and put nice jewellery on. [Members of staff] make sure [family member] is in good clothes and looks nice. [Members of staff] really take care of [family member].”

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. People’s care and support plans were specific and unique to them. People’s care and support was designed and delivered around helping them achieve what wanted to achieve. A family member told us, “Staff are consistent and shadowing is carried out before a new member of staff comes in full time. If [person] has any difficulties, the staff will talk to them and try to diffuse the situation. [Members of staff] encourage [person] to talk to them. [Person] has a good bond with their staff. Members of staff take [person] to all their appointments e.g. GP, dentist and hairdressers.”

The provider was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People were supported to have choice and control over all aspects of their lives. We observed people had made choices about their own flats and the pets they chose to keep. People made decisions about where they wanted to go out to for social activities and shopping. People were supported to develop their independence and independent living skills. One person had worked with the provider and their support team to develop more alone time to support their journey to independence. The changes were being implemented and reviewed incrementally and the person was fully involved in reviewing the successes and challenges of their journey to independence. This was reflected in the regular reviews of their care plan and their needs assessment. A family member told us, “[Person] attended [a family] funeral last week. We didn’t know if they were coming or not, but they turned up with a member of staff. [Person] looked really smart. Black suit and sunglasses. They were amazing there. This is how much they have improved by being there. They didn’t come to [a close family member’s] funeral 2 years ago. So look how much they have come on now.”

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress. People's needs were understood by their support teams and changes were responded to quickly which ensured their immediate needs were met. A member of staff told us about people’s care needs and care plans, “[People] are involved in their own care plan and can communicate their preferences, needs, choices, likes, dislikes, their goals and any other relevant information. This information is recorded in the [person’s] care plan and on [the electronic care app] where the information can be documented.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The provider had an employee assistance programme in place which provided support around emotional, physical and financial wellbeing. There was an employee handbook available to members of staff which detailed the organisational policies and flexible working options.