Creative Support - Ulverston Autism Service

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 changed to 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.

People were supported with exceptional kindness and compassion, and their dignity was upheld in all aspects of their daily lives. Staff were observed responding to people gently and politely. Care records were focused on respecting people’s dignity. Care record entries made by staff were respectful and demonstrated kindness and empathy.

All the staff we spoke with felt they were treated with kindness and empathy by their managers. Other professionals involved told us they felt respected, and their views were valued by staff. One visiting professional said, “I feel the home are responsive to people. It's a nice environment to be in and [Name] is a respectful manager.”

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People were treated as individuals to an exceptional degree. The provider had gone to exceptional lengths to understand what was important to people and considered, in depth, information from as broad a range of stakeholders as possible. The complex care team had completed very detailed observations of how people were supported and how this affected their quality of life. This data had been analysed and a report fed back to the registered manager. This knowledge was shared with staff and ensured they had a comprehensive understanding of each person, how they expressed themselves and how they needed staff to respond to them.

The relative of one person said, “[Name] is a very good manager, very caring. I speak with the staff and they seem caring. My relation is very lucky to be there [in the home],”

A visiting professional said, “Care plans were person-centred, they articulated the voice of the individual and detailed their individuals needs and how best to support them.”

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 had been supported to be seen as independent and unique by the provider. Care records were highly respectful. People’s rights as citizens were included in their care records. People’s rights in relation to living in the care home were also detailed in care records. Though not everyone would be able to read these, and some of the concepts were difficult to explain in accessible ways the inclusion in care records, which were viewed by staff and stakeholders, demonstrated the providers’ commitment to upholding peoples rights.

People were encouraged to develop and maintain their independence in gradual and supportive ways. This included, self-care, baking, arts, and crafts projects, having a shed, cleaning their home, and cooking. One relative said, “Is [Name] stopping here because he looks very happy and well looked after. I wouldn’t want them to go anywhere else; they go out every day and do the things they love.”

The registered manager said, “Empowering individuals to shape what their day looks like with activities, opportunities and choices that are meaningful to them is at the heart of what we do.”

The provider was exceptional in how they 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 responded to consistently and flexibly by staff who understood their individual needs well. Staff were exceptionally skilled at responding to people. Staff had received training and support from the providers’ complex care team and registered manager, to understand the best way to recognise and respond to what people were expressing. Over time this had led to significant reductions in safety incidents linked to people not having their needs met.

People received consistent support. Staffing levels were maintained as commissioned which was at least 1-1. This meant people were able to do what they wanted to do because there were enough staff to respond to their wishes. One relative praised how frequently their relation was able to get out and about.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The provider ensured staff wellbeing was central to what staff could expect from their employment. Recruitment processes ensured staff were made aware that their choices and cultural needs were respected and valued.

Staff induction included information about the support services available for staff which they could access confidentially. Staff rights were upheld. Staff received regular supervision and annual appraisals to support them in their roles.

The provider had a broad range of services to support staff, these included; A health and wellbeing app for employees, an assistance programme, access to free counselling, confidential advice around a range of issues, financial incentives to complete training. There was also an awards scheme, the registered manager had recently nominated a member of the team in relation to their dedication and commitment.

All staff reported feeling valued, respected and supported at work. Staff comments included; “The management are supportive. They were very supportive when I needed to meet a domestic issue.” and “I feel respected and valued at work.” and “I am happy with the managers they are approachable and easy going the registered manager is very approachable.”