Independence at home 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 that the provider involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

This is the first assessment 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 70 (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.

People and relatives told us staff provided kind and compassionate support. One person told us, “The staff are lovely; I’m treated well.” While a relative said, “We’ve got a good bunch of regular staff; they treat my [relative] like their own.”

The staff we spoke with told us how they treated people in a compassionate and caring way, with 1 staff member saying, “We get to know the people we work with, what they like, what they don’t like – we basically just treat them as we’d like to be treated ourselves.”

The provider told us, and records supported, how staff training, supervisions and team meetings were designed to ensure staff were clear on the importance of people being treated with kindness and respect.

The provider did not always treat people as individuals or make sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences.

Care plans and risk assessments did not always reflect people’s individual needs and preferences. For example, some people’s care records failed to make accurate reference to some people’s individual health needs and how they wanted these to be met by staff. This meant people were at risk of their individual needs not always being consistently understood by staff.

People were consulted about their care arrangements, and people and relatives told us staff treated them as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment aligned with their needs and preferences, which took account of people’s strengths and abilities. One person told us, “I know the staff know me, and they help me in ways that suit me.”

The provider 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 told us they were involved in the care planning process, both when people moved to the service and on a regular ongoing basis. One relative told us, “They’ve always kept us informed of what they’re doing and what’s going on.”

The provider sought people’s and relatives’ views from regular satisfaction surveys.

Where people had mental capacity regarding their care arrangements, both they and their relatives told us they were encouraged and supported by staff to have independence and control over their care. For example, 1 person told us, “The staff help me to live my life how I want to.”

People’s care records showed how people were encouraged and supported to have choice and control over their lives.

Where people were unable to make decisions for themselves, staff got to know people well and were able to present informed choices to support people in making those decisions.

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 received support at agreed times and people’s needs were responded to promptly by staff. For example, people who required support with their personal care needs were appropriately supported in a timely manner.

People and relatives told us staff had a good awareness of people’s needs, including being able to recognise how people with communication needs communicated choices and preferences.

While staff had not always received training which was relevant to some people’s needs, staff were able to provide examples where they had recognised and responded promptly to people's needs, including those with physical health needs.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff.

Staff we spoke with were very positive about the availability and support they received from the provider. One staff member told us, “I’ve worked in care for a long time, and I can honestly say that [the provider] and the office are the best I’ve worked with.” While another staff member said, “They’ve been great with me – it’s a lovely place to work.”

The provider told us how they valued staff, how they are available to them at all times and provided examples of how they have supported them when they have experienced difficulties. This contributed to a culture in which staff felt respected and valued.