Office G19

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. 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.

During the inspection we observed friendly natural interactions between the carers and people using the service with the carers demonstrating a good knowledge and awareness of the needs of the people they were supporting. People spoke positively and affectionately for the staff members supporting them and looked comfortable and relaxed in their presence.

People and their relatives stated that carers knew them and their needs. Our conversations with staff confirmed this. Staff spoke about the people they were caring for with compassion and respect. One relative spoke warmly about staff and said, “Oh absolutely. Staff treat him more like friends.” One professional said, “Staff show they care and are interested in the service users.”

People were treated as individuals by staff who took time to get to know them and understand them.

Staff knew and respected the people they cared for, including their preferences, personal histories, backgrounds and diverse needs. Care plans were detailed and had detailed person-centred recording of people’s backgrounds. One relative said, “They support him with anything that he shows interest in and activities like that. They help with life skills.”

People’s personal, cultural, social and religious needs are understood and met. People were supported to attend religious services according to their faith, while consideration was given to dietary requirements.

Staff sought to actively support and maximise people’s independence, choice and control.

People were encouraged to take risks and undertake tasks and activities that increased their independence and control. Staff encouraged people’s independence with positive attitudes and understood the value people they support placed on their independence. One staff member said, “There is a risk of the loss of social and emotional independence if support staff take over tasks unnecessarily. We try to avoid over assisting to encourage independence and self-esteem.” One professional said of one person they supported, “There has been a noticeable increase in planned activities and support focused on developing her independence in daily living skills.”

Staff worked proactively with people to learn new skills to maintain control over their own lives. Staff spoke passionately about area that they had helped people achieve this. One staff member said, “We support people to become more independent by involving them in decisions about their care and support, doing things with them and not for them. We identify their strengths and utilise them to foster a sense of purpose and contribution. I have been supporting a resident who had a passion for baking. We made it a routine, having some baking sessions once every week until they gained confidence and now they have enhanced their skills, we are celebrating their progress and that have made them more independent and greatly improved their overall well-being.” One relative told us about their loved one, “He’s more independent now.”

People’s needs, views, wishes and comfort were a priority and staff quickly anticipated these to avoid any preventable discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff could quickly recognise when people need help or support and used appropriate tools to assist them. For example, staff were supported by detailed Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) care plans that provided guidance and direction to anticipate and respond to people’s anxieties and behaviours. These identified why anxieties and behaviours occurred and identified its triggers. One relative said of their loved one’s support, “They do seem to know what works with (person). They haven’t reported any incidents or anxieties which is good.” One professional told us about a person they supported, “I have witnessed staff working really hard to make him feel emotionally and physically safe and build a rapport with him. I believe this is mainly due to the trust that they have built with the young person.”

The registered manager and provider valued the inclusion, wellbeing and contributions of staff that enabled them to provide safe, effective and person-centred support.

Support systems were available to staff such as an employee assistance program providing GP and mental health support to staff. Staff could also access an independent support line for personal or professional support. Staff recognition schemes, opportunities to provide feedback and concerns were all available to staff.

Staff explained how they felt supported and listened to by the manager, which allowed them to fulfil their roles to the best of their ability. One staff member said, “I would honestly describe (provider) as a family with strong leadership, clear guidance and a supportive environment that makes a difference in how we work and support tenants.” Another staff member said, “Emotional support and care plan reviews is also usually done, the managers usually reach out to the staff members involved in the incident to make sure they are fine.”