Gaia Home Care Ltd

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 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 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. Care was delivered with kindness and dignity by a team of people who were respectful of people's needs. One person told us, "The carers are kind, compassionate and caring. They are very talkative and we have great chats.” A member of staff told us how they ensured people were treated with dignity and respect, "I would speak to them in a calm friendly tone using their preferred name and encourage them to complete tasks they are able to do and not underestimate them by assuming something is too difficult for them to complete. If a person appears to be struggling with completing a task, I would ask them if they need any assistance and respect their reply. Whilst assisting with personal care, I will respect their privacy by giving them personal space whilst maintaining their safety at all times also I will make sure they are covered where necessary to keep their dignity and privacy. I always encourage people to make their own decisions, whether good or bad, because everyone is entitled to make their own decisions if they have capacity to do so. I also believe everyone should be treated as an individual person and not just a job and you should treat others the way you'd expect to be treated."

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 individual needs were identified through careful assessment and then recorded in their care plan. A family member told us, “The carers know [relative's] likes and dislikes and provide personalised and person-centred care. I was involved in creating the care plan and also any necessary updates."

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People's choices were supported by member of staff. A family member told us about how people were supported to maintain their independence and make choices, “The carers are really kind and compassionate. They are respectful and observe [relative's] need for privacy and dignity. [Relative] is stubborn and quite independent. They are given choices and make some of their own decisions." A member of staff told us, "I give the clients my full support to make their own choices decisions regarding their care and well-being."

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. Members of staff were responsive to people's needs and recognised when their needs changed. A member of staff told us, "The management team complete the assessment and care planning process. I interact with families, and/or other people involved, when there are changes in needs or concerns. I will then feedback to the management team who will update care plans if necessary." People's relatives confirmed members of staff were responsive to people's needs. One family member told us, “The carers are very kind and caring. They are respectful and observe privacy and dignity whilst giving personal care.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The provider was supportive and flexible. They said, "We understand, as individuals, our members of staff should have a healthy work life balance. We believe it is important our staff are well rested with their mental wellbeing nourished. Staff will not be asked to work outside of any availability they provide. However, due to the business sector and the nature of your role within the company, there may be exceptional circumstances which require them to undertake extra work. If this is the case, we will ask your availability to provide extra care services." Members of staff had access to a 24/7 mental health support service through a staff well-being and support programme. There was mixed feedback from the staff team about feeling supported. Some members of staff told us about the support their received from the management team but others told us they would like more support around management of rotas. One member of staff told us, "[The management team] are there any time I need them. They are always approachable at all times and never make me feel uncomfortable. I feel 100% comfortable to approach them. I'm always reassured and told I am appreciated which means a lot to me as I'm not used to that. I feel I am fully confident to express any ideas to management as they do encourage it. I have spoken to them about some ideas I have had and some of them have been put in place. It makes me feel appreciated and a key part of our team."