Lifeways Community Care (Taunton)

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• 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 Requires Improvement. At this assessment 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 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.

People responded positively to staff. People were supported by staff who knew them well and developed positive, caring relationships with them. For example, a manager had gone to great lengths to enable a person to have a safe and enjoyable experience at a hair salon after the person indicated this was an activity they wanted to participate in. This included person centred pre-planning with the individual, the hairdresser and the staff team, as well as the manager having their own hair cut at the same time to reassure the person.

Relatives described staff as “caring and so, so kind”, “wonderful”, and said staff “love her to bits”. One relative told us, “I’m 100% confident in his staff team”, while another said staff “go above and beyond” and changed shifts to ensure people received support from familiar staff. Health and social care professionals also described warm and respectful interactions and observed people at ease with staff.

One professional reported seeing “singing, laughter and positive engagement” and described a genuine person-centred relationship between staff and people. Staff demonstrated an understanding of people’s communication needs, preferences and routines and supported people with kindness during periods of distress and ill health. Improvements in staffing stability had helped strengthen relationships and consistency of support.

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 treated as individuals and staff made sure care and support reflected people’s needs, preferences, strengths and aspirations. Professionals consistently told us staff knew people exceptionally well. One social worker told us staff knew people’s “likes/dislikes, mannerisms, non-verbal communication, triggers, patterns of behaviour, warning signs of deterioration and positive strategies.” One person made a small visual sign when we met them, the staff member immediately recognised it was their sign for an injection and reassured them we were not a nurse; the person did not like needles. Once the staff member had reassured them, we saw the person look more at ease and their engagement with us increased.

Care plans, positive behaviour support plans and reviews contained personalised guidance about communication, daily living, nutrition, social relationships and behavioural support. We saw examples of support being tailored to individual circumstances, including gradual approaches to change, personalised activity programmes and support that reflected people’s interests and goals.

Professionals described the service as “entirely person-centred” and responsive to concerns and risks. Relatives also described staff adapting support around people’s individual preferences and routines. Improvements in governance and care plan reviews had helped ensure records more accurately reflected people’s needs.

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

The registered manager and location managers could clearly explain the separation between the service and the range of landlords who provided accommodation for people. People had a genuine tenancy, and the model of care provides the privacy, dignity and independence that a real tenancy should. Based on this responsibility, they were supporting people to move from accommodation which had not been maintained by a landlord.

Staff worked alongside people to achieve goals, participate in activities and develop skills at their own pace. The service worked in line with Right Support principles by promoting participation, inclusion and independence for autistic people and people with a learning disability. Photographs and records showed how people participated in a broad range of chosen activities which reflected their individual interests.

Care plans included guidance on promoting autonomy, offering choices and supporting decision-making through accessible communication methods. We saw examples of people being supported to choose clothes, meals, activities and social opportunities, as well as being involved in planning holidays, community activities and day-to-day routines.

Relatives described people choosing when to go out, where to spend their time and how they wished to be supported. Staff supported people to develop confidence, access their communities and learn new skills. For example, one professional described a person making “excellent progress” in regaining confidence, while staff gave examples of supporting people to increase participation in everyday tasks and activities.

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.

The service listened to and understood people’s needs and generally responded promptly when support or intervention was required. Professionals described staff as responsive to risks and concerns and said they recognised changes in people’s physical and mental health and acted quickly. One social worker told us staff were “quick to identify concerns with both physical and mental health and responded to this in a timely manner.”

Health and social care professionals provided examples of staff escalating concerns, seeking healthcare support and following professional advice. Relatives described occasions when staff acted promptly when people became unwell and supported access to emergency and ongoing healthcare services. Records showed health appointments were monitored, outcomes recorded and specialist advice incorporated into support plans. Improvements in management oversight, care planning and governance had strengthened responsiveness across the service.

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 cared about and promoted staff wellbeing and supported staff to deliver person-centred care. Staff generally told us they felt supported by managers and colleagues and had access to supervision, training and development opportunities. Staff described supportive leadership, approachable managers and positive team working. Many staff reported receiving regular supervision, team meetings and specialist training relevant to the people they supported.

Recruitment, inductions and retention arrangements had improved, contributing to reduced agency use and greater staffing stability. Professionals also reported noticeable improvements in management oversight, governance and leadership support. Staff said managers were visible, responsive and available when support was needed, although some staff described some historical staffing pressures, concerns about staffing levels, communication issues and inconsistent support based at 1 location. Despite these issues, there was evidence of continued improvement, better staff support and a stronger culture of learning and development than at the previous assessment.