Thames Homecare- Barnet

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 75 (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 were compassionate, kind and treated them with dignity and respect. For example, a person told us, “I love my carers, and I really don’t know what I would do without them. They are all so kind to me, they treat me with respect.” And a relative said, “[Staff member] is not just a caregiver they are a true embodiment of empathy, kindness and compassion. [Staff member] does their work with a level of dedication that goes beyond duty.”

A member of staff said, “I look at it as caring for my [relative,] it’s simple I treat people like how I would expect my [relative] to be treated, with respect, dignity and kindness.” The registered manager held a log of the occasions where staff had gone above and beyond their allocated support call. This could be anything from collecting someone’s medication from the pharmacy, buying a pint of milk and offering a kind word or a moment of compassion in difficult times.

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 assessments, care plans and risk assessments were person-centred. They included information about people’s histories, abilities, cultural and religious needs, preferences, and how and when they wished to be supported. Staff understood the importance of ensuring care and support was delivered in line with people’s needs, preferences and choices. A staff member told us, “We learn about people’s history, and this is captured in their care plan. It’s so nice to talk to and reminisce with people it’s so important, just being normal with people.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing.

Staff had good knowledge of people’s individual needs and preferences. They told us about how they respected the choices people made about their care and ensured their approach reflected this. People’s independence levels were recorded in their care plans, so staff knew what assistance they needed. This helped ensure staff had the information they needed to help meet people's needs.

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.

Staff had a good knowledge of recognising when people’s needs changed and understood their responsibilities in reporting concerns to senior staff.

Daily care records were reviewed by management to check staff provided care in a person-centred way and to help recognise people’s changing needs.

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

Staff we spoke with told us they felt supported and valued by their colleagues and management. They said they felt happy and safe at work.A member of staff told us, “I found my co-workers to be very caring and compassionate when I shadowed them, I learnt a lot from this experience. I saw staff being humble and passionate, imagine that.” Management had an open-door policy, which meant employees were encouraged to approach any manager with suggestions, complaints or questions. Staff were encouraged to speak up and raise concerns openly. A member of staff told us, “The manager is always there to support and listen to us. I am happy in my role.”