Dale Care - Newcastle (Extra Care/Homecare)

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 service involved people and treated them with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

This is the first inspection of this service. This key question has been rated 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.

Staff at the service always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. A professional commented, “The staff are all welcoming and easy to approach.” People and relatives were very positive about the caring nature of the organisation and staff. Their comments included, “I could not ask for anything better, I am very happy with the service. It is like having a wife, staff are really caring”, “Staff are totally caring” and “Staff have a laugh with and talk to [Name] about things of interest to [Name].”

Staff 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. A person told us, “My carer is like a big sister to me, they are a lovely person. They speak my language and have advised me and helped me to make medical appointments.” People and their relatives told us staff took time to speak with people during care visits and communicated effectively. A relative commented, “Staff are respectful when supporting [Name], they explain what they are going to do as they support and move them” and “Staff ask for consent before carrying out any personal care.”

Staff promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. A person commented, “The carers prepare meals for me, and I choose what I want to eat”. Staff supported people to remain as independent as possible. People’s care plans provided guidance for staff that detailed the support staff needed to provide and what the person could do themselves to help complete the task and maintain their independence. A person told us, “My care plan and notes are on the staff telephone App, I can always ask if I need a meeting or to make any changes to my care.” Within the extra care scheme, a range of activities for socialising were available for people if they wished to take part. A relative commented, “There are activities in the communal room. For example, seasonal celebrations such as a Halloween party, fish and chips on a Friday and bingo sessions.”

Staff 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 were supported by staff who were familiar to them, which enabled staff to anticipate and meet people’s needs quickly and in ways that reduced people’s discomfort and distress. A relative commented, “Staff are totally caring. [Name] can be resistive, they are not the easiest person to care for. Staff will wait and encourage them, [Name] has good days and bad days.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff told us they felt valued and supported by the management team. They all commented they were encouraged to voice their opinions, ideas and suggestions. They provided very positive feedback about their experience of working at the service. They all said the registered manager was supportive and approachable. A staff member commented, “I enjoy working back out in the community and with this provider.”