Apex Prime Care - Hampden Park

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 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.

People and their relatives were consistently positive about the caring approach of staff and the positive relationships they had developed. One person told us, “I’m very happy (with Apex). It doesn’t matter what the weather. They come in smiling like a ray of sunshine.”

Family members described staff as ‘courteous, polite and respectful’. One family member said, “Care staff show empathy, are engaging and very kind.” Relatives told us, “The carers are very good and very friendly. They talk to us all the time. They are very compassionate. If [family member] is feeling down, they talk to her and cheer her up.” Another shared, “Staff are very good. They do a fantastic job. Sometimes I hear laughter and jokes going on. [Family members name] is very happy with them. They are very caring.” Feedback we received demonstrated staff's commitment to ensuring people felt comfortable, respected and reassured when receiving support in their own homes. Staff understood the importance of maintaining privacy and dignity during care visits and were able to describe how they adapted their approach to meet people's individual needs.

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 received person centred care based on their individual needs. Staff took the time to get to know people and build relationships with them. When a new carer visited, they took the time to read the care plan before visiting and spoke to other staff if they needed any further information. This helped staff to engage meaningfully with people and provide care tailored to their needs. Staff told us, “I always read the care plans and information, if it is the first time I have visited someone it gives you a hint what they like and don’t like and their hobbies and about their family. It’s a starter when you are trying to make them feel comfortable with you, it gives you common ground to chat about.”

Care records included information about people’s life history and background as well as relevant personalised health information. The care plan also included a fact sheet for staff to enable them to understand the physiology of specific health conditions and the long-term effects this can cause. For example, if a person had previously had a stroke, personalised information was recorded to explain how the stroke had affected them as an individual in relation to their communication and mobility and their specific health and support needs and a supporting fact sheet provided further information for care staff.

People told us, “The carers are brilliant. I have no complaints. They take the time to talk and ask us how we are. They are very caring and kind,” and “I can really share things with the carers when I’m feeling down. They go beyond what they are paid to do. They are very real. I couldn’t be happier with them”

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

People were involved in discussions regarding their care and support needs. People told us they were encouraged to express their views and make choices about how their care was delivered, staff respected these choices and worked alongside people to achieve outcomes that were important to them. Staff told us “We always discuss with the person what they can do for themselves and what they need support with to ensure their independence is maintained. On assessments we explain to them that having help is not about taking away their independence but it’s to enhance it, so they are able to do things for themselves.”

Staff supported and encouraged people to remain as independent as possible whilst receiving the support they needed. For example, people who were supported with personal care, staff were aware what tasks people may be able to do independently or with minimal support or prompting. This demonstrated how staff balanced providing support whilst promoting independency and dignity. Care plans included what people were able to do for themselves to maintain their independence. People told us they never felt rushed and felt encouraged and supported by staff to do things for themselves when safe to do so.

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.

Staff worked closely with relatives, healthcare professionals and other agencies to ensure people received the right support at the right time with GP contact and referrals completed when required. Records demonstrated that changes in people’s needs were communicated effectively and care was adapted accordingly, this helped to ensure people continued to receive personalised support that reflected their current circumstances and preferences. Professionals spoke positively about the service’s responsiveness and commitment to achieving positive outcomes for people.

People told us care staff were responsive to their changing needs. People told us, “My carer, who is very very good picks up on how I am straight away.” And, “They do have a time to come and will often stay 10 minutes extra if needed. They get on with their work and do everything that they should.” Relatives also told us. “If [relative] is not feeling well the carers let me know and I let the GP know and a paramedic will call. A year ago, they had a very bad infection and the carer phoned for an ambulance.” and “Once [relative] collapsed in the front room. They fell and was unconscious. The regular carer arrived and dealt with it all.”

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

Staff consistently told us they were happy working at Apex Prime Care Hampden Park. The registered manager had fostered an open and engaging culture at the service ensuring staff felt supported and valued. Staff comments were extremely complimentary, staff felt they could speak to the manager if they had any issues or concerns and they would be supported. Overseas staff working on sponsorship told us the registered manager had ensured they were orientated into the area and supported to access local services and transport, describing the registered manager ‘like a mum’ making sure they had everything they needed when they moved to the UK. All staff shared how they felt supported by the registered manager and staff team.

Professional support for staff was balanced with staff welfare and enabled staff to have some flexibility with their work life balance without compromising the actual care being provided to people. The service provided an on call system that meant that staff could call a manager at any time for support if needed.

The registered manager told us that staff recognition was important and they always ensured staff were thanked for their hard work. There was a ‘Cera star’ awarded. Staff could be nominated by anyone, and they would get a certificate and a star to put on their badge. Small incentives and gifts were given to staff to show thanks throughout the year.