Help at Home Care

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 key question has been rated Good.This is the first assessment for this service.This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 90 (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.

Feedback about how people were treated by their care staff and by the management team was extremely positive. Comments included, “[Carer] knows me so well and understands exactly what I need,” and “The service is brilliant and the carers are very, very good.”

All staff had a caring attitude and their relationships with people and those close to them were positive. A person said, “The carers that come are nice, attentive and good at their job. I get on well with them.” A relative said, “They keep an eye on [relative] and communicate well with the family.”

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.

Care plans were personalised and detailed, capturing people’s preferences, life experiences, backgrounds, routines, and aspirations. For example, where a person was supported with a shower the care plan detailed what order they liked things to be done and how they wished to be supported. This ensured staff could build meaningful relationships and deliver support in ways that felt familiar, comfortable and genuinely aligned to who the person was.

People were treated as individuals and had developed positive and caring relationships with staff and the management team. An example of this was a person mentioned to the care staff that they really missed having a tonic and lemon in a ‘posh’ glass. The next time they visited the member of staff took a bottle of tonic and lemons. They sat with the person and drank this together in a ‘posh’ glass. The person was so pleased with how this made them feel that this is now a weekly occurrence.

A person said, “[Carer] noticed little things and paid attention. [Carer] knows my body better than I so sometimes.” Another person said, “The support feels personal.” Without exception people were complimentary about the caring nature of the staff.

It was evident from speaking with the care staff and people that they had developed positive relationships. Care staff genuinely enjoyed spending time with the people they supported. A care staff member said, “I always treat others the way I would like to be treated. I am mindful that I am a guest in their home and ensure I am respectful of their beliefs, values, and preferences."

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 supported to have choice and control over their own care and to make decisions about their care, treatment and wellbeing. A person said, “They [care staff] listen, act and communicate well. Another person said, “They [care staff] listen to what I want and do things the way I like. If I want something changed, that’s quite alright. They respond well if I need anything different.”

People were actively supported to enhance their autonomy, have as much control over their lives as possible and develop new or existing skills. For example, when a person first started using the service they were not showering as they were frightened to access the shower, they were supported with a strip wash twice a week. With structured support from a consistent staff team in whom the person developed trust they are now able to access the shower with a care staff member present. As the support continued the person’s confidence has grown so much that the care staff now only lay out fresh clothes and the person has a shower independently while care staff are in their home.

Care plans were person-centred and included information about people’s abilities, preferences and what was important to them. Staff worked with people to understand how they wanted their care to be delivered.

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.

People and relatives were happy with the support they received. They spoke positively about their call times, flexibility of the service and confirmed they were supported by care staff who knew them well and understood their needs. A person said about the care staff, “They definitely come on time and stay to do everything I need them to do.” This was supported by electronic records.

Examples of staff recognising concerns and responding to people’s needs included a member of staff noticing a new lump on a person's ear and immediately informing the person's daughter. Following medical assessment, the lump was removed and diagnosed as a basal cell carcinoma. In another instance, staff recognised that a person living with dementia, who would not usually verbalise pain, was repeatedly rubbing their knee. By recognising this change in behaviour and exploring whether the person was uncomfortable, staff ensured they received appropriate pain relief, improving their comfort.Staff promoted people's emotional as well as physical wellbeing. When a person's mobility deteriorated and they could no longer attend hair and nail appointments, staff arranged for these services to be provided in their home, helping to maintain their confidence, dignity and sense of identity.
 

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.

Staff spoke highly of the support provided by the management team and enjoyed working at the service. One member of care staff told us, “I genuinely love working for Help at Home Care. I am supported by a great team, equipped with excellent PPE, thorough training, and high‑quality care plans. I am never rushed, and as a result, customers are happy, comfortable, and thriving.” Another member of care staff said, “Lovely service to work for. I enjoy my work making people happy.”