Feeding Together

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

This means we looked for evidence the service involved caregivers and treated babies with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

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

We reviewed 4 quality statements for care. This included, kindness, compassion and dignity, treating patients as individuals, independence, choice and control, and responding to patients’ immediate needs.

The registered manager ensured primary caregivers fully understood their baby’s condition and felt confident in making decisions about care and treatment. They took time to provide clear, compassionate explanations and tailored support, ensuring families never felt rushed.

People were treated with empathy, kindness and compassion. Interactions were warm, respectful and centred around the needs of both the baby and their caregivers.

Caregivers were involved in all decisions, and their views were actively sought, listened to and valued. The registered manager created an environment where caregivers felt able to make decisions. Caregivers reported that their dignity was upheld at all times. The registered manager was sensitive to the emotional needs of families and ensured privacy and respect during assessments and procedures.

Feedback about the service was overwhelmingly positive. Caregivers consistently described the service as “amazing” and praised the registered manager’s “attentive” and “caring” approach.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

The service always treated babies with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People we spoke with described the registered manager as kind, compassionate and respectful. Caregivers felt at ease during their appointments and told us they received the treatment they had expected. They did not identify any areas where the registered manager could have done more to improve their experience.

The registered manager was discreet and responsive when caring for the baby and their caregivers. They took time to interact with parents in a respectful and considerate way. Caregivers emotional and social needs were seen as being important and were actively listened to. Caregivers said the registered manager treated them well, with kindness and they felt listened to.

The registered manager demonstrated a warm and respectful approach, taking time to build positive and trusting relationships with families. The registered manager responded sensitively to peoples anxieties during appointments, offering reassurance and clear explanations.

Caregivers said the registered manager considered their individual needs and provided information to help them understand their baby's condition and the treatment options available.

We observed the registered manager interacting with both babies and caregivers in a considerate way. The registered manager listened to concerns, offered practical and emotional support where needed and used active listening skills throughout the appointment.

Privacy and dignity were respected during appointments. We saw the consultation room door closed during the procedure. The registered manager explained they would only assist with positioning a baby for feeding after obtaining consent from the caregiver.

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

We interviewed 6 caregivers who used the service. They all reported to have experienced positive outcomes following the procedure and the service met their expectations. Online reviews from the last 12 months showed 100% of respondents rated the service as excellent. This meant the service consistently provided positive outcomes to babies who used the service.

The registered manager was aware of necessary adaptations required when assessing individuals with protected characteristics. The registered manager explained if protected characteristics were documented on the pre assessment questionnaire, a follow up conversation would be initiated.

The registered manager had appointment slots for one hour and people said this length of time was long enough to allow them to get all the support needed from the consultation. Some caregivers we spoke with said their appointment time was extended to ensure they left feeling supported and all their questions were answered. One caregiver said the registered manager “could see we were anxious, so didn’t rush the appointment”.

Caregivers knew their rights and had choice and control over their babies care, treatment and wellbeing.

Before attending the service, caregivers were able to access information about tongue-tie, feeding difficulties and the frenulotomy procedure through the service website. The website included links to additional resources to support informed decision-making. Caregivers told us they were given sufficient time to consider the information before deciding whether to proceed with the procedure. One person said the registered manager "included us in the decision to have the tongue tie and gave us the time we needed to make a decision".

The registered manager used a range of communication methods, including visual demonstrations of the baby's tongue function, to help caregivers understand the assessment findings and make informed choices about treatment. Caregivers were actively involved in discussions and able to decide how they wished to support and comfort their baby during the procedure.

The registered manager encouraged meaningful involvement throughout the assessment and treatment process. Flexibility was shown by allowing caregivers to attend appointments with partners, relatives or other supportive adults where consent had been given. The registered manager involved caregivers in supporting the baby during the procedure, explaining how to hold them, and talking through each step carefully and supportively. They were made to feel that they mattered, and their thoughts were valid, enabling them to remain independent. There was a process to reduce the risk of babies moving during the procedure and to ensure they were safely cared for. This included securely swaddling the baby in a blanket, with one of the primary caregivers positioned to hold the baby’s head and shoulders while the frenulotomy was carried out.

Support continued beyond the appointment. The registered manager encouraged caregivers to access community resources, including local feeding support services. Families were provided with information that included guidance and signposting to local baby and toddler groups.

Appropriate equipment was available to support positive outcomes from care and treatment. People told us the service had suitable facilities to meet the needs of their baby. The service maintained a stock of nappies, wipes and feeding aids, including nipple shields, which could be used to support effective and comfortable feeding where clinically indicated.

The service listened to and understood caregivers needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to babies needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

The registered manager undertook feeding observations before the procedure to identify any concerns or complex feeding challenges They took time to observe, communicate and engage with caregivers about their immediate needs and concerns. We saw they responded sensitively and adapted their approach to respect individual wishes. People told us the registered manager helped them feel at ease and was attentive to both their needs and those of their baby.

Following the procedure, we observed the registered manager monitoring the baby's feeding and discussing progress with caregivers to assess whether the frenulotomy had been effective. Before the appointment ended, they checked the tongue for any signs of bleeding and ensured the baby was recovering as expected. Caregivers were provided with advice and information about what to do if unexpected bleeding or other concerns occurred after the appointment.

We did not look at Workforce wellbeing and enablement during this assessment. There is no previous rating for the Caring key question so we cannot yet publish a score for this area.