Domiciliary Care Services (UK) Limited

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 75 (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.

Kindness and compassion were demonstrated by staff’s capacity to listen and respond to people, and by being respectful of people’s homes and enabling them to make choices and not feel rushed. People and family members spoke positively of how staff treated them with kindness and empathy and respected their cultural and religious beliefs. A family member told us, “Staff are very professional, polite and courteous. They treat my relative with dignity.”

Staff had developed positive relationships with people and were able to demonstrate their compassion and commitment to providing good quality care and positive outcomes for people.

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.

People were supported by a diverse staff team, which enabled them to meet people’s cultural and religious needs. A family member told us, “There are no communication difficulties with the carers as they speak Gujarati, which helps.”

People’s care records provided information as to people’s individual needs, which included information as to their cultural and religious needs. People’s strengths and abilities were detailed to support staff in encouraging continued independence.

The registered manager evidenced staff were trained in topics which included dignity in care, and equality, diversity and inclusion.

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 involved in decisions regarding their day-to-day life, for example, what they wanted to wear and eat, and decisions around their personal care routine. People felt supported by staff and the impact this had on their independence and choices. A family spoke of how staff provided encouragement. They told us, “I am very happy with the carers. They encourage [relative] to be independent as much as possible, by enabling them to do things for themselves.”

People’s care plans detailed their day-to-day needs and preferences. Care records reflected how people were to be given choices and have these respected. Communication with staff was effective in sharing information as to any changes in people’s needs. Care plans included information as to any equipment used by the person to maintain their independence, such as walking aids.

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’s care records included information where people lived with dementia and may experience periods of distress or confusion. Staff understood the support people living with dementia required and fully understood how they needed to encourage them to make decisions and be involved in their care to minimise distress. A family member told us, “My [relative] has dementia, so struggles to really know the carers. The carers are very good with [relative], and as such [relative] is comfortable with them.”

The service was able to respond in a timely manner, where people’s circumstances changed and additional support was required. A family member said, “They are flexible enough to arrange extra calls when needed, for example when we as a family go on holiday.”

Systems and processes enabled the registered manager to keep oversight of the service being provided, and to respond in a timely manner where alerts were generated by the electronic recording system. For example, an alert would be generated in the event a member of staff did not log in to confirm their arrival at a person’s home.

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

The registered manager was committed to recognising and valuing the cultural and religious diversity of both people who used the service and staff. Personal beliefs, traditions and practices were supported.

Realistic staff rota schedules were developed to ensure sufficient travel time for staff between care visits, with staff breaks, to ensure staff compliance with Working Time Regulations.

Staff spoke of being supported, consulted and listened to by the management team. A member of staff told us, “The company looks after us well. The workload is manageable; we get scheduled breaks in our timetable.”