Dorset Domiciliary Care Agency

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has remained 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 service always 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, caring, and respectful. Comments from people included, “Staff are kind and helpful”, and, “Staff are good and help.” One relative told us staff were, “Very friendly, kind and treat [person] with dignity and respect.” Another relative said, “The carers are very good. [Person] is so happy with them. They really work so hard."

The service 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 received personalised care that reflected their choices and preferences. Care plans and risk assessments were detailed, personalised and regularly reviewed. People were supported to express their wishes and have control over their day. People took part in activities of their choice, including walking, eating meals out and attending clubs.

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

Peoples care plans detailed their preferences, interests, histories and people important to them. Staff promoted people’s independence in their day to day lives and respected each person’s needs and choices. People were supported to maintain relationships that were important to them. People and relatives told us people were supported to retain their independence and make choices. Staff told us they encouraged people’s independence. A staff member said, “We don’t want people to lose skills, so we promote independence as much as they can.”

The service listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff respond to people’s needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

People told us staff contacted health care professionals when required and supported them during appointments. Relatives confirmed this. A relative told us staff, “Respond very quickly to [person’s] needs.” The provider had a system in place to record all communication with health and social care professionals, ensuring information was kept centrally and was accessible to staff. Records showed staff met individual’s needs and worked with other services when additional support or information was needed, ensuring consistent care.

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

The provider recognised staff contributions with an annual recognition award. The provider told us staff were rewarded for positive practice.

The provider completed pre-employment health questionnaires as part of the recruitment process, allowing any reasonable adjustments to be explored. Staff told us they were appreciated and supported. Comments included, “The company is interested in my growth”and, “They acknowledge my work, they offer full support they make you feel appreciated. It’s like a small family here, I like it here.”