Exmoor Drive

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 70 (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 spoken with told us they were well cared for and treated well. Comments included, “They (staff) are good,” and “They (staff) are lovely and polite.” A relative told us, “They (staff) treat [person’s name] well, caring and kind and with dignity and respect. They (staff) are careful to wipe their face after food. They always make sure their door is closed when they are on the toilet and their curtains are pulled. They ask [person’s name] what they would like to eat and drink and give them choices.” Another relative said, “Absolutely [person’s name] is treated with kindness and dignity. [Person’s name] would throw a wobbly if mistreated.”

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. Staff knew people’s likes, dislikes, preferences and how they liked to spend their time. During one of our visits, we observed people to be doing what they wanted to be doing. For example, one person was cooking, another person was watching a film, and a couple of people had visitors visiting them. During all of our visits we observed positive interactions. People were relaxed, comfortable and engaged well with staff.

We received mixed feedback in relation to whether the provider was promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choices and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. For example, one person told us they make their own meals and drinks and said, “I can make choices and they (staff) don’t stop me doing anything.” However, they said it depends on whether there is a driver on they like as to whether they choose to go out and said they would like go swimming again. Another person described staff as doing too much for them and said, “Everything is done for me, and I want to be independent.” The management team explained to us a new suitable placement was being sought for the person to enable them to live more independently. Another person told us, “Tuesday is my shopping day. I want to start at a day centre but it’s taking ages to organise.” A relative said, “Independence is difficult, but they do as much as [person’s name] can do”. Another relative told us, “Staff generally know [person’s name] likes and dislikes, but not a lot going on to choose between. [Person’s name] doesn’t like too much noise. [Person’s name] generally doesn’t want to get involved. [Person’s name] is mostly not interested in group activities but has a choice.”

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. We observed staff responded quickly when people wanted or needed something. Staff knew people well and were able to anticipate and manage situations which may cause people distress. We saw 1 person was in distress and staff respond to them appropriately, in a sensitive and calm way. Information for staff about how to avoid people becoming anxious or distressed was included in people’s care plans.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. For example, new staff completed an induction and received the necessary training to deliver person centred care safely and effectively. Supervisions provided opportunities for staff to raise concerns and discuss any personal development and health and wellbeing needs.