Unique Personnel (UK) Limited - Waltham Forest

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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

People and their relatives spoke warmly about their care workers. One relative told us their family member sometimes needed more time because of their dementia. The care workers were good at understanding this and were friendly and patient with them. One relative told us, “We completely trust them.” Another relative told us, “I think [family member] feels safe and comfortable with [care worker] and I think [care worker] treats him with kindness and empathy.”

Care workers told us they understood the importance of promoting people’s privacy, comfort and emotional wellbeing. One care worker told us, “I would tell family members to excuse us when it is time for personal care and would close curtains and doors.”

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.

Care plans recorded what was important to each person. One person’s care plan explained they valued their beliefs. They wanted to keep taking part in religious and cultural activities, but their memory difficulties made this hard to arrange. Care workers were asked to remind the person about important events. They were also asked to help them get hold of reading materials and to attend services whenever possible.

A relative told us their family member and their care workers came from different countries. They shared an interest in football, talked about it together and understood each other well.

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

Care workers were asked to support people to remain independent as much as possible. One person’s care plan said they washed themselves at the sink each day. Care workers were asked to stay with them and supervise, but not to take over.

A relative told us their family member was very independent and did things for themselves where they could. They told us the care workers helped their family member to remain independent which made them happy.

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.

Care workers noticed when people needed something and dealt with it promptly. One care worker found a person had run out of incontinence pads and arranged for more to be delivered. A relative told us care workers arranged things for their family member when they had forgotten them.

Care plans explained how care workers should communicate with each person so they could understand what they needed. A relative told us care workers took time to talk with their family member who was distressed and enjoyed a joke together to make them relaxed.

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

Care workers received supervision every three months, and further supervision was arranged when something difficult happened at work. One care worker found a person who had died at their home. The provider arranged extra supervision for them, and the record showed the care worker was supported with care and sensitivity. When a care worker had a health condition that affected their work, the provider completed a risk assessment with them so their working arrangements could be adjusted safely. Care workers had completed lone working training as part of their recruitment process.

Managers asked care workers how they were at team meetings and encouraged them to take their annual leave. One care worker told us, “We feel supported by the office and there is a HR department to protect us.”