Somerset

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 the first assessment of 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 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

Staff were exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People spoke in exceptional terms about how kind and compassionate care staff were towards them. They told us staff were “wonderfully kind”, caring, friendly and patient and promoted their dignity and privacy when providing care. One person told us, “I look forward to [care staff] coming. It has been an absolute blessing having them. They are simply fabulous and I would definitely recommend them to anybody that asked.” Another person said, “I'm very happy with my care and I couldn't imagine it could be any better. All of the staff are excellent. They are all very good to me.” A relative had complimented the service stating, “Nothing is too much trouble [for care staff] and when necessary, they will always go above and beyond, giving that bit extra to make sure all is well.”

People told us they valued the company of care staff who visited them and they had regular care staff who knew them and how they liked to be supported. One person said, “[Name] is my main carer and [they’re] lovely; looks after me so, so well. [Name] understand everything about me and the care that I need. If [name] is away there's another 2 [care staff] who step in to cover. They are fabulous as well.”

Staff and people who used the service spoke of each other with kindness and respect. A staff member said, “We treat all our clients with kindness, dignity, respect and compassion.”

Staff 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 told us they were seen as and treated as an individual. Staff knew people well and had time during their visits to sit and chat with them as well as providing care. One person said, “[Carer’s names] understand me. I really look forward to them coming.”

Staff told us everyone they supported had different needs and were very different people. Staff understood the importance of treating people as individuals. One staff member told us, “We understand that every person is an individual, and we aim to provide care that makes people feel valued, listened to and supported."

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

The service was focused on helping people to remain in their own homes and supporting them to continue living as independently as possible. Care staff provided the right level of support to maintain or improve people’s independence where this was possible.

One person told us how their care had been focused on supporting their recovery and regaining their independence. They explained how successful this had been. They said, “I can be quite independent now. I generally only go out for about one hour a day on my own. Other than that, I'm happy spending time at home. They [care staff] do all that I want them to do but they let me do anything that I'm able to do for myself.”

This meant people had control over their day to day lives and some people needed less ongoing support over time.

Staff 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.

The provider adjusted visits to fit in with people’s individual requirements, sometimes at short notice. One person said, “I knew that I'd be out of sorts today [after receiving some treatment] so I rang [the registered manager] and said it was not worth [care staff] coming as I would have just been too tired and also, I would have been asleep when [care staff] normally come. It was no problem at all to not have the visit.”

Staff knew who to contact when people needed urgent help or support or to report a concern.

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

There was a comprehensive and practical support system for all new staff. This was designed to ensure every staff member felt welcomed, supported, and empowered to thrive in their new role. The registered manager told us, “For the first 2 weeks new staff are supernumerary; after that they have their own clients. We provide lots of training and after 3 months we do a probation review. We are in touch with staff every day. We have such a great staff team.”

Staff told us they “loved” working for the provider. They felt well cared for and supported. One staff member said, “On the whole I've never enjoyed a job so much; it's a good team to work for.”

Policies and procedures were in place to ensure equality, diversity and inclusion was upheld. The provider was fully committed to these principles and values. They were a responsive service, able to meet people's diverse needs.