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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 that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. At our last assessment we rated this key question outstanding. 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 80 (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, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People and their relatives told us staff were kind and caring. One person commented, “Staff [are] really nice, favourite is everyone.” A relative told us, “They look after [person] very well. [Person] loves it there. They do a wonderful job.”

We observed staff treating people with respect and had positive relationships with people which made people feel at ease. The atmosphere felt friendly and inviting, and staff understood people’s personal histories and preferences.

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 personal, cultural, social and religious needs were understood by staff and they supported people to engage in these. Where people wished to partake in their local place of worship, we saw staff supporting them to attend these regularly and engage with the community. One person told us, “Like the staff best.” A relative told us, “They always listen to her and treat her with respect.” Another relative commented, “At a time when you hear bad things about social care to know that service users and [person is] being so well treated is very special.”

Staff respected people’s differences and care records reflected this. The language used in care records and by staff during our site visits was respectful and person-centred, and staff took an interest in people’s lives. The environment in services was decorated with people’s involvement and people were empowered to take part in the decision-making process. This resulted in people taking pride in their home. One person told us, “Bedroom massive, staff decorated it purple, I chose it, chose bedding, TV and pictures.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People’s independence and control over their lives were promoted by staff who knew them exceptionally well and knew how to ensure people understood the information presented to them in a way that enabled them to direct all aspects of their care.

People told us they had choice and control over their lives. One person described how staff supported them to maintain their independence when using medical equipment, “[Staff] helping me with it. Have [medicines and equipment] in meds cupboard, safely secured upstairs, staff get it out of cupboard and I take it.” Another person commented, “I like living here and the staff.” A relative told us, “[Person is] independent, managed independence.” Another relative commented on how staff were using aids to enable people to be as independent as possible, “They have created [choice cards] and support with psychology.”

People had access to activities of their choice, many of which were run by the provider and attended by people of different services to enable them to follow their own hobbies. Staff were flexible so that people were able to go on holidays in the UK and abroad. One person told us, “Going to [place abroad] with [staff member] for my birthday.”

Staff understood the importance of helping people to maintain their independence and regularly reviewed their goals. One person was actively involved in selecting assistive technology to help keep [them] safe while at home alone. They chose a pendant bracelet to summon help which meant they were able to continue to live independently. People’s care records were detailed and included people’s goals and how staff could support them to achieve these. Staff regularly reviewed goals and celebrated people’s achievements.

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 and their relatives told us they felt staff generally acted promptly to ensure people did not have to wait for support. One person who used the service said, “All staff support me, help me when I get tearful, talk to me about support plans.” One relative commented, “You can tell by [person’s] relaxed manner, [person] is with good regular staff, especially the [service] manager.” Another relative told us, “They are like a big family and look after [person] like I would.”

We observed staff responding to people in a timely manner and staff understood how to react to people when they were unable to communicate verbally. For example, staff used picture cards to communicate with a person when they were expressing their feelings with an emotional reaction which resulted in the person showing staff they wanted to go for a walk. Following the walk, the person was able to sit in their room and complete a task they had started earlier in the day.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Staff told us they felt supported and valued by the provider and registered manager. There were support systems in place such as an employee wellbeing section on the staff portal and mental health first aiders coupled with regular supervisions and team meetings. Staff told us their workload was manageable and were treated fairly. One member of staff told us, “Here we work as a team. I feel valued.”