12 Channel Lea

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.

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 provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. We saw staff treating people with kindness and respect at all times, and as equals in their own care and treatment. On the day of our inspection there was a medical emergency and we observed staff taking the time to explain to and reassure people about what had happened. This included giving people the time and space they needed to process their thoughts and emotions in a way which was sensitive and personalised to each person’s communication needs. We saw people had close and trusted bonds with their staff. One person during our visit took pride in making cups of tea and coffee for staff, and another told us, “Yes, of course they do [treat me well]. I enjoy living here.” A relative added, “Absolutely, they really know my relative inside out. They are like their family.”

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 were supported in a way that emphasised their strengths and diversity, with care plans in place that reflected people’s physical, social and cultural needs. Staff had a strong knowledge of the right of people to make unwise choices, and would support people in making their own choices and taking positive risks. For example, around going into the community independently and forming strong social connections or maintaining strong relationships with friends and family. One person told us, “Yes, I can come and go whenever I want to. It's my choice where I want to go, and staff will give me a lift but I can and I will use public transport if not. If I want to go home and see my family then I can do that at any time.” One staff member explained, “We need to support people in making their own choices. We will point out the risks, so they are aware of these if needed, but it’s their decision to make.”

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. The provider and staff worked closely with people to support them in having maximum control over their care, and in being able to learn and develop important life skills for instance around cooking, cleaning and maintaining their home environment. This empowered people to develop the skills to live independently in the future should it be safe for people to do so. One staff member explained, “We’re working with people to develop their confidence in cooking small meals for themselves. We’ll be available to reassure and ensure they’re able to do so safely. But they are in control.” During our visit we saw people were relaxed in their own home, including using the kitchen and answering the doors to visitors. People had day to day control over what they wanted to do and around menu planning. One person told us, “Me and the other guys at the service all choose our own food. We plan 2 meals a week each.” Staff worked closely with people to support them in managing their personal care themselves, to allow them to maintain their dignity and respect.

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. There was clear guidance in place showing how staff should respond if people’s mental or physical wellbeing deteriorated, and staff we spoke to were confident in the signs they would look out for. For example, they knew what might trigger a person to become anxious and distressed and how to respond in a person-centred way to reassure them. We saw staff were confident in using their own autonomy to seek emergency medical advice if needed, rather than to delay people’s access to important care by having to ask management first (who sometimes worked at other sites). On the day of our inspection one person’s health had deteriorated rapidly and staff acted quickly to ensure an ambulance was called.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they felt supported in their role, that they had strong and trusted relationships with management and were given the tools and knowledge to provide safe and effective care. One staff member told us, “The manager is brilliant. I always know that she’s at the end of phone. In the past I felt lonely working at this service, but this is no longer the case and there’s always support if they needed.” Staff who had support needs told us adaptations had been made to ensure they could continue to work and feel valued in their role. Staff had access to breaks and safe working hours at all times. Another staff member told us, “You get the time to relax, never had any issues. No set times for breaks but I get them when I need them.”