Polly Care Services Ltd

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 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, respecting their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People told us they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity. Their comments included, “Yes [they are kind]. I have a bad back and they are very careful moving me”, “All are very helpful and polite and they do what I ask and nothing seems too much trouble for them.” Relatives agreed and said, “[Family member’s] carer is lovely” and “They watch over [family member] a lot.”

The registered manager told us they ensured people were always treated with kindness and compassion. They sought feedback from people and their relatives to ensure any concerns were addressed promptly.

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They took into account people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People told us the staff knew and respected their wishes and preferences. A relative agreed and said, “[Family member] is a Christian and they do talk a lot about Christian religion.”

The management and care staff told us they were dedicated to ensuring people’s needs were met. They understood people’s individual needs well and were committed to treating them as individuals.This included respecting people’s faith and relationships.

People were consulted regarding their preferences for the gender of the care workers who supported them. All said they were happy to be listened to and have their wishes respected.

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

People’s choices and independence were encouraged and promoted. Relatives commented, “They encourage [family member] to wash [their] face”, “[Family member] self-medicates and can make cereal but they talk to [them] whilst [they are] doing it and I know that they are watching in case [they] make a mistake or if [they] fall. Which is good!”

Some care plans lacked information in relation to people’s cultural, social and religious needs and aspirations. People’s care plans also lacked information about their background, preferred activities and what made them happy and fulfilled. This meant there was a risk the care staff would not know about these specific needs, which could impact the care delivery. We fed this back to the provider.

The registered manager told us people were always at the centre of every decision made at the service. They told us they supported people to access the community, such as going shopping, if this was part of their care plans.

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.

During our visit, a relative called to say the care worker had not arrived as planned. The registered manager immediately called the care worker who said they were running late. They said they will speak with them to understand what happened and take appropriate action. They added they had sometimes noticed a pattern of lateness, had investigated the reason and had taken appropriate action.

People and relatives told us the care staff were kind and provided care and support in line with their wishes and needs. They told us the staff were always willing to help.

The care staff and the senior team were accessible and happy to modify care when people wanted this. The registered manager told us they were always happy to have a chat with people to discuss anything they required.

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

The registered manager spoke positively about the staff team. There were systems in place to identify if staff had any specific health or well-being needs. They told us, “We do have a [social media] group where we praise staff and tell them when we have received compliments about them. We say thank you. We would like to invite them to the office so they can come and chat, enjoy snacks, and have a chance to meet. The staff have mentioned having their birthdays off, and we can accommodate this.”

Staff felt supported and spoke of being a good team. A staff member told us, “It’s a good place to work. The team is supportive and the positive atmosphere makes the day-to-day easier. Sometimes, sudden changes at short notice can be stressful, but the team and office team help pull through to support whenever they can.