Basingstoke

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 is the first assessment for 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.

The provider always treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

Relatives said staff supported people to maintain good standards of personal hygiene, appearance and dress, which promoted dignity. They told us staff were respectful of their home environment. For example, staff always knocked on doors, announced themselves upon arrival, and left people’s home clean and tidy after care visits.

Staff spoke positively about their role and said they were motivated and proud of the impact of their work, particularly in promoting people’s independence, dignity and wellbeing. The provider had also received compliments highlighting staff kindness and the positive impact of the care provided. One staff member told us, “Supporting people to lead fulfilling lives, both now and in the longer term is at the heart of everything I do.” Senior staff carried out regular observations of staff’s practice. This helped to ensure staff interactions with people were kind, respectful and promoted their dignity.

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 said staff treated them as individuals and they valued the support provided. Care plans clearly recorded communication needs, including reasonable adjustments. For example, staff adapted their approach to support a person with a hearing impairment. Staff understood the Accessible Information Standard and how to meet people’s communication needs.

Care plans documented people’s cultural, spiritual and religious needs. Staff said they followed tasks set out in the electronic care planning system for each care visit. However, they were led by what people wanted at each specific visit, so were flexible in their approach. For example, if people declined support with personal care on occasion. This ensured personalised care led by people’s preferences and wishes.

Care plans included guidance on promoting wellbeing, including strategies to support mental health and identify early signs of deterioration. This enabled staff to respond promptly and support people to access early intervention. One staff member told us, “The most satisfying part of the role was seeing clients happy. This could be through something as simple as helping them have a positive start to the day.”

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

People and relatives said staff support helped them maintain their independence living at home. This included remaining independent with personal care and everyday activities. People told us staff were patient and intuitive, recognising when support was required and when people could manage tasks independently. Staff said they were motivated to promote independence and took pride in supporting people to remain in their own homes. One staff member told us, “I support people to be independent by giving them the right level of help while still allowing them to make their own choices and do things for themselves.”

Care plans clearly recorded the support people needed with personal care, including tasks they could complete independently. This ensured staff provided only the necessary level of support. Where people were reluctant to engage with care, senior staff visited them to understand their perspective and work towards improving their engagement with care. People were able to express preferences about staff, and the provider acted to address compatibility concerns where these arose. This helped promote people’s choice and preference.

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 said staff knew them well and recognised when they were unwell or needed additional support. They told us staff responded promptly and adjusted care where required, including changing visit times or increasing support when people became unwell during visits.

Staff showed good knowledge of people’s needs and gave examples of responding effectively to keep people safe and support wellbeing. For example, when 1 person experienced an issue with their blister‑packed medicines, staff identified acted immediately, by making a safeguarding referral and putting in interim arrangements to support safe medicines management until the issue was resolved. This ensured the person continued to receive their medicines as prescribed. The registered manager kept comprehensive records about any incidents or concerns about people and associated correspondence with people and professionals. This helped to evidence the actions they took to keep people safe.

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

Staff said they felt supported and valued in their role. This was reflected in regular working patterns, sufficient travel time between visits and responsive support from senior staff. Staff said senior leaders treated them with respect and made them feel welcome when visiting the office or speaking by telephone.

The provider arranged team meetings and networking opportunities to promote teamwork and collaborative working. This included virtual meetings to help staff build relationships with colleagues. Lone working risk assessments were in place to identify risks and put measures in place to support staff safety whilst working in the community.