Tamworth Home Care 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 inspection we rated this key question requires improvement. At this inspection the rating has changed to good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 65 (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.

Staff talked about people they knew well, and they could describe to us each person’s likes, dislikes and how they preferred their care routines. Staff spoke about people in a kind and respectful way.

Positive feedback was shared from a social care professional, “Tamworth Homecare worked with an individual of mine who was experiencing low mood and lack of motivation. I cannot speak highly enough of the care staff that supported him and his family. They were kind and attentive and their communication with other professionals involved was fantastic."

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’s care plans included information about their backgrounds prior to needing support from a care agency. People’s pastimes and important personal stories they chose to share, helped staff treat them as individuals. Staff knew the importance of recognising each person’s character and how they liked things done. For example, staff addressed some people using their middle name or other names which is what they wanted. Staff understood people’s individual needs and preferences, and these were reflected in their care plans.

A staff member told us, “It’s important to get to know the person and build up a relationship so you gain their trust."

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

Care records captured people’s preferences and needs. This included how they wanted to be supported by staff and what the person could do for themselves to maintain their independence. One staff member said, “Yes, we always look for ways to promote independence. We have 1 lady, and we encourage her to wash her face and clean her teeth.”

People and relatives were supported to make choices which were respected by staff. One person said, “Oh yes, when they come in, I’ll say I’m staying in bed today and they very much respect that."

The provider did not always listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment or act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Some people and relatives told us their immediate needs were not met due to their care calls frequently being late or being completed by staff who did not know them or their needs. One person told us, “The carers can be late. It’s more so on weekends and a more regular time on weekdays. The dinner time visits vary. They can be an hour late on weekends and lateness is regular.” Another person said, “There’s no missed calls. But quite a few late calls. Once, they were two hours late that led to just 1-and-a-half-hour gap between morning and dinner time calls. There was no communication by the carer or the office. They don’t let me know. It’s not often but it’s not rare.”

One relative told us, “[Person] is not easy or always co-operative. So, consistency in knowing them matters. The problem is bank staff are used who don’t know them. [Person] had a few strokes and can’t speak, so can become aggressive and throw things at them. I don’t know if new carers have read their notes before they come.”

Other people shared they were happy with the times of their calls, and some felt timings had improved recently and late calls were now infrequent for them.

The provider did not always care about and promote the wellbeing of their staff. They did not always support or enable staff to deliver person-centred care.

Since our last inspection the service had undergone several changes to the management team, and staff shared mixed feedback about the support they received. Not all staff had yet had the opportunity to meet the new manager. Some staff told us clearer communication and direction was needed to ensure they knew what was expected of them and who to go to for support.

Staff shared team meetings had been scheduled and were hopeful this would improve communication across the wider team and strengthen future team working.

Other staff were positive about the support they received and enjoyed working for the provider. One staff member told us how they had their working hours and working pattern adjusted to help support their work life balance.