Exceptional Care At Home (Barnet)

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 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 consistently described staff as kind, respectful and caring, and said care workers treated them with dignity in their own homes. Staff respected people’s privacy, for example by maintaining dignity during personal care and respecting personal space and routines. People told us they were treated with respect and their preferences were valued, which supported positive relationships between staff and the people they cared for. This was reflected in feedback from people, for example, “So, so nice. Friendly and hard working.” One person said staff were “chatty, friendly, greet us each morning,”

While feedback was overwhelmingly positive, there were isolated comments about variability in staff engagement, although these did not reflect the overall experience.

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 were person‑centred and written in a way that reflected people’s preferences, routines and what was important to them. Staff demonstrated an understanding of people’s individual needs and followed care plans, so care was delivered in line with people’s choices and expectations. People and their relatives told us staff respected their preferences and adapted support accordingly, effectively helping to tailor care to each person.

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

Staff encouraged people to maintain their independence by supporting them to do as much as they could for themselves, while helping when needed. For example, staff followed care plans that reflected people’s preferences and routines, enabling them to continue activities that were important to them and maintain control over their daily lives.

Staff supported people to remain as independent as possible when their needs changed by adapting care and involving appropriate professionals. For instance, where mobility needs increased, staff arranged additional support and equipment to enable people to continue moving safely within their home environment.

People and their relatives were involved in planning care, and staff offered choices and respected decisions about how care was delivered. People told us that support helped them maintain independence and continue activities important to them.

The provider listened to and understood people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to people’s needs in the moment and took action to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

People and their relatives told us that care met their needs and was adjusted where necessary. The provider identified and responded to people’s needs and effectively recorded, monitored and escalated changes in real time. Staff acted on changes in a timely way and care coordinators supported the effective management of people’s care. Where needs increased, staff provided interim support and care plans were updated to reflect changes in a responsive way.

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

The provider supported staff wellbeing by ensuring they felt valued, supported and able to carry out their roles effectively. Staff told us they were encouraged to raise concerns and felt confident to seek advice from management, who were accessible and responsive to issues.

Staff received regular support through supervision, team meetings and ongoing training, which helped them to develop confidence and competence in their roles. Staff described a positive and supportive working environment, where colleagues worked together and supported each other to provide safe care. These arrangements helped promote staff wellbeing and contributed to the consistent delivery of care. A staff member told us, “It’s a healthy place to work.”