Warwickshire Reablement Service

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 changed to outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 95 (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.

Without exception, everyone praised the service and the staff team. People also praised management. One relative said, “I cannot praise them enough and would absolutely recommend this package.” One person who used the service said, “They were brilliant. They have very good well-trained staff that really know their stuff. I cannot sing their praises enough as they manage to recruit highly skilled people.” The provider showed us a folder that was full of compliments. Examples included, “I want to thank all of the staff because they are angels”, “All your team have been lovely” and “A massive thank you, your support has been wonderful.” We saw some positive feedback from other health professionals that endorsed people’s comments about staff’s positivity and kind attitude and approach.

Everyone we spoke with felt comfortable with staff, especially during personal care. People said they were encouraged to do as much for themselves, so they remained in control of what happened. All staff understood the importance of managing people’s dignity. Written compliments held by the provider showed a number of people and partner organisations recognised the team’s kind and compassionate approach to care.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People and relatives said they felt valued, respected, involved and encouraged through the support they received. Everyone said the support they received had benefited them. People were seen and treated as individual from the moment their reablement journey began. A typical comment from 1 relative was, “The package has been very successful, my [Relative] has certainly improved and her mobility is much better. The service is very good, and it met her needs and she can manage her daily tasks with much greater ease.”

It was evident the caring culture was led by the whole team. The provider made sure people were seen as individuals and treated in a way that matched their personal needs, preferences and abilities. The registered manager shared an example with us. They told us about a person who had to sleep downstairs initially following return from hospital. Their goal was to be able to sleep upstairs with their partner. The registered manager explained how they achieved this through working with the person, family, other partners, and sourcing the right equipment with minimal delay. The registered manager said this was the importance of reablement and how it focussed on individuals and each person’s own needs.

Care planning reinforced people’s unique strengths and needs, which involved them to influence how they received their care in a way that suited them. People’s care information reflected the person, their expectations and how they wanted to be treated, either with limited help or through encouragement. The service worked collaboratively with the person to identify and achieve personalised, realistic outcomes through agreed goals. During the initial assessment, comprehensive risk assessments were completed to guide reablement assistants in delivering safe and effective interventions. These assessments were reviewed by a member of the assessment team. For example, if an occupational therapist assessed bathing or showering needs and subsequently issued equipment or provided further guidance, they updated the reablement risk assessment to reflect any changes or progress. Reablement assistants we spoke with said they had this information updated at that call so they could see any changes in real time. This approach helped shape and tailor people’s care in an individualised way.

Family members were seen as a vital support to ensure staff provided the best care outcomes. Reviews were completed, with relatives if they wanted, who could access a customer portal. Relatives had a secure login to access the customer portal where they could read what care staff had done, when, and how their family member was. Relatives said this helped them feel engaged.

We saw a written compliment from a health professional that recognised how staff saw people as individuals and did what was important for them. Part of this compliment read, ‘[Staff member name] joined me on a visit to ensure continuity for a person who was very poorly and their family. It was an upsetting and traumatic time for the family. [Staff member name] had built up a great rapport and managed the situation with professionalism, compassion and kindness. [Staff member name] had many difficult conversations with different teams to ensure [Person] received the right support. I wanted to highlight what an asset [Staff member name] is to the team.’

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

From the point someone entered the service, staff worked collaboratively with people to fully understand, what was important to them. The provider, through its staff, excelled in this area. A key contributor to supporting independence, choice and control was goal setting for people which was genuinely co-produced. People felt involved because they shared with us, they were listened to, respected and fully involved from the start which shaped their own care plan. Staff were creative and flexible to align with people’s individual requirements and routines.

Throughout this report, people’s feedback and how staff supported them demonstrates how people were the central focus in what was put in place. Everyone we spoke with felt the benefits of the advice, support and care they received. One relative said, “The entire package was developed to provide care to meet their everyday needs and to encourage independence.” Another relative told us, “Staff encouraged them to do things by themselves without being too intrusive. They treated them with dignity and respect at all times.” A person who received a service said, “The carers (staff) would allow me to do things on my own and not insist that they did it for me. They were very encouraging and supportive.”

Staff were committed to supporting people with their reablement, as well as offering support and signposting once care had ceased. Our conversations with management and staff showed they understood what mattered to people, how they could help them, and had a clear understanding of each others roles as well as those of external health agencies. Staff also described accessible communication as a key element to ensure people had maximum choice and control.

We have reported on external health agencies and partners who have shared extremely positive feedback with the provider about how staff have worked well with them, as well as advocating for those people in their care to achieve the best outcomes possible.

The provider was exceptional in how they 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.

People and relatives described staff as responsive right from the start of their reablement journey. One person described to us how responsive staff had been for them. They said, “At first it’s frightening because in hospital, there are people and nurses everywhere. Coming home, it’s a case of ‘ooh help’. Knowing someone is coming, to talk to you, to discuss things, that someone is on their way. Knowing they were coming was a bit of an uplift.” Staff understood this. One staff member described to us how they put themselves in the person’s shoes. They understood coming from a busy hospital to possibly an empty home was daunting.

People said staff actively encouraged them to do well. One person said, “This was a big help at first, as the days went on, I got better and I didn’t need them so much.” They were confident staff knew when to help and when to take a step back. People understood staff supported a lot of different people, but their comments showed they were treated as an individual by someone who knew them well. One person said, “Staff make you feel so special but obviously they have to adapt to different people. They respect me, they respect my other half and my privacy. They are always smiling and each and every one is so friendly.”

Staff remained flexible so if care calls went over the planned duration, this was no problem. Care coordinators had real time oversight through electronic systems, which showed where staff were at any time. This allowed them to quickly rearrange visits to prevent delays or missed calls.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

The registered manager was proud of their staff team, and they valued their commitment to providing an excellent service. From staff conversations, everyone said it was a great provider to work for. Staff valued the provider investing in them and their ongoing learning and development which directly benefitted those people they supported. Some staff told us how the provider had encouraged them to develop their own knowledge and experiences. In some cases, staff were actively encouraged to take additional vocational qualifications. Those staff told us they really valued this and the support from their management teams. In one example, a staff member had led on the use of some assistive technologies and presented this to the provider as a tool to help people who used services. The provider purchased this system and the staff member led on a promotional video where they will be presenting this technology to other local authorities, about the benefits it provides. Another staff member told us they were encouraged and supported to develop new skills and passions that would benefit those people they supported.

The provider, being a local authority, had access to policies and procedures that supported positive behaviours and wellbeing. In the provider information submitted by them, they said they listened to staff and had provided new winter coats, and lightweight uniforms for the direct care staff and assessors. They supported all staff with their well-being and tried to ensure that everyone can have a work life balance. The provider offered an employee assistance programme, and counselling where any mental health needs were identified. They also said they had supported a number of staff with ‘Access to Work’ referrals and encouraged staff to complete these so they can support with any reasonable adjustments.