Listonshiels

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 newly registered service. This key question has been rated 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.

The provider was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

There was a visible culture of kindness, empathy and respect which was embedded throughout the service and across all staff roles. In every interaction we observed, staff consistently treated people with the utmost respect and showed genuine kindness and compassion. Staff were exceptionally skilled and proactive in supporting people who were experiencing distress, communicating a need and expressing feelings or an emotional reaction. Staff approach was tailored to meet each individual’s needs. One relative said, “They treat [person] like a queen, management included. They're all wonderful. 110% they treat [person] with respect, always, every one of them. They're absolutely brilliant.”

This strong values-based approach ensured people felt valued, safe and deeply respected.

Kindness extended beyond the people using the service. Staff showed respect and compassion in their interactions with colleagues, external professionals and partner agencies, contributing to a supportive and positive working culture. Staff took their time to listen, build meaningful connections and offer emotional reassurance.

One relative said, “[Staff] are so kind with me as well. I looked after [person] for [many] years, so it was a big thing [person] moving here, but [person’s] happy and that’s all that I want.”

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.

Staff supported people in a personalised way that reflected their individual preferences and identities. People’s apartments and gardens were configured to meet individual requirements, for example, 1 person had a feature installed in their garden which enabled them to safely pursue a special interest they enjoyed. People had chosen how their apartments were decorated according to their tastes, including favourite colours, pictures and personal items. One relative said, “[Person] has their apartment as they like it. It’s not how I'd choose to have their bedroom decorated, but [person] chose it and is happy with it.”

Staff also respected and supported people’s religious and cultural needs. Staff ensured all people were treated with dignity, consideration and honour and had the same legal rights and access to resources, regardless of their background and identity.

Staff were trained in equality and diversity, and the provider had an equality and diversity policy in place to protect people and staff against discrimination.

These approaches ensured people received care that recognised their individuality and supported their sense of identity, independence and wellbeing.

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.

Staff promoted people’s independence, involved them in making choices and having control of their life. People had the opportunity to access the community and there was a clear emphasis on developing a good quality of life for each individual.

People were encouraged and empowered to make their own decisions and staff enabled people to do as much as they could for themselves. Staff understood how to support people to make choices in ways that worked best for them by adapting how they spoke, listened and responded to people, taking account of individual communication styles, sensory needs and levels of understanding. Positive risk‑taking was embedded into everyday practice. Staff supported people to build confidence, try new experiences and develop independence in ways that were planned, safe and meaningful. One staff member told us, “100% people are involved and supported to make decisions, some may seem small, but they are big things for that person. For example, [person] choosing their own shoes and being involved in repainting and furnishing their flat.”

Staff helped people improve their social interaction skills through consistent and structured support from a consistent team of staff who knew them well. This included planned, step‑by‑step exposure to social environments and offering predictable routines to reduce anxiety. As a result, people who had previously struggled in group settings were now able to take part in community activities, developing friendships and increasing their confidence and enjoyment.

The service had many examples of good news stories where people had achieved personal goals. For example, 1 person had a highly successful and enjoyable visit to a hair salon with their staff where they chose their own colour, cut, wash and blow dry and enjoyed socialising with the hairdresser and other customers.

Staff supported another person to go out with their family. The person’s relative told us, “[Person] has a full and active life. Person came with us to a [football team] match which was a big thing for us to do as a family.”

Professionals also commended the service for encouraging, empowering and enabling people. One professional stated, “I am very pleased with the progress [person] has made since moving to Listonshiels. [Person’s] staff and management show a great understanding of [person] and their needs, [person’s] routine has improved and they have a lot of choice and autonomy.”

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 were supported by their own consistent staff team who were present with them in their apartment day and night. Staff knew people well and responded promptly and sensitively to people’s immediate needs, ensuring support was delivered at the right time and tailored to meet individual needs and preferences. They remained attentive to changes in emotional and physical wellbeing, offered reassurance when people felt anxious or unsure, adapting their approach in accordance with the person’s support plans. This responsive and person-centred practice helped people feel safe, listened to and confident that their needs would be met when required.

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.

Managers were pro-active and visible in supporting staff. Regular supervision, open communication and opportunities for learning helped staff feel supported and enabled them to deliver high-quality, person-centred care. Staff told us they were encouraged to raise concerns, share ideas and contribute to service improvement. The provider held a monthly staff forum with the head of Human Resources. A representative from each of the provider’s services attended, to discuss ideas and share learning, with outcomes shared throughout the organisation.

Managers actively supported staff development and progression. Individual strengths and potential were recognised and staff were supported through training, mentoring, supervision and opportunities to take on additional responsibility. Staff consistently told us managers encouraged and supported progression within the organisation.

Staff wellbeing was actively promoted by managers to ensure a positive work life balance for all staff. Staff consistently told us they felt valued, confident and empowered in their roles. Recent staff surveys were unanimous in their positivity about working at the service and the support they received. One staff member told us, “Managers here are very supportive. They have an open-door policy. They’re very approachable, open minded and very responsive.” Staff also said they felt well supported by managers in difficult situations, which helped them remain calm and positive when supporting people who were distressed.

The provider also promoted a positive team culture through a range of benefits and incentives which helped staff feel valued and connected. These included an employer of the month scheme, access to independent physical, mental and emotional wellbeing support, ‘peer to peer thanks’ and ‘management thanks’ award schemes and ‘good ideas’ reward scheme. This approach fostered a highly engaged and motivated workforce, which contributed to high staff retention and ensured people consistently received care from staff who knew them well and were committed to achieving positive outcomes.