Amaiva Homecare Services

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 newly registered 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 80 (out of 100) for this area. Find out what we look at when we assess this area and How we calculate these scores.

The service was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and inhow they respected people’s privacy and dignity. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People experienced extraordinary kindness and affection by a staff team who were valued and passionate about their role. It was clear from the overwhelming levels of positive feedback we received that the care team made a strong impact in improving people’s quality of life. They approached their duties with a positive, caring attitude that enabled people to achieve the best possible outcomes. People and relatives were unanimous that care staff from Amaiva Homecare Services were continuously kind and caring, being thoughtful with everyone and extremely professional in their attitude and approach. A relative told us, “They are always gentle, kind, patient and treat my loved one with great dignity and respect. The carers speak to them throughout their care, explain what they are doing, and treat them as a person rather than simply carrying out tasks.This means a great deal to our family.” This meant people received exceptional care which was embedded and part of the natural process within the service. A person confirmed, “Staff are very respectful,” and when asked, they could not think of anything that could be improved with the care they received. A relative told us the superior standard of care had been instrumental to improvements in their loved one’s needs since Amaiva Homecare Services had supported them saying, “There is a big difference in the quality of personal care, food and drink presentation and intake, and several valuable recommendations based on making care less stressful.” This demonstrated genuine impact on people’s lives. Comments like, “the team is outstanding and I do not need to worry about (a person) getting the care they need” and “the carers are compassionate, professional and reliable” confirmed that families were reassured that their loved ones were being well looked after, and they had total confidence in the exemplary standard of care being provided. Staff felt extremely proud to work for the service and described ways of working that promoted people’s dignity, demonstrating a clear understanding of how to excel in kind and respectful care. One staff member stated, “I have seen an entirely new and refreshing perspective on providing care and from the start have both witnessed and participated in the type of care I believe every individual is deserving of.” Staff told us they enhanced the care they provided by liaising with healthcare professionals, including, collaborating with enthusiasm, knowledge, confidence and respect. Professionals gave glowing feedback about the service and the high level of care that its staff delivered, with comments that were respectful and full of admiration with one stating, “Amaiva consistently goes above and beyond in delivering exceptional care.”

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.

Care plans contained a varied amount of personal history information, according to how much someone wished to disclose and have on record, but details did give a picture of the individual and the support they required. Details such as, “They may get cross if asked to do something” and “to give time to process information.” This helped staff in getting to know and understand people who they supported. Relatives confirmed they were very happy with the manner in which staff communicated with their loved ones, and the way each individual was acknowledged and respected, one family member told us, “They do not treat my loved one as just a patient, they really care about them, and they see the carers as extended family.”

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

People’s care plans reflected the areas of need where support was required and indicated people’s level of capability, so staff were aware of how much people were able to be involved in their daily activities and what tasks could be completed by them, so encouraging their independence. For example, staff documented “when (a person) was ready they called me,” demonstrating care was led by the person, but staff remained close at hand to ensure safety. Staff understood the importance of promoting people to have choice and control and supported them to be involved in deciding their daily routines. A staff member told us, “I try to make them feel independent, I ask if they want to help make food or drinks, give them a choice of what they want to do.”

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.

Staff were able to respond quickly to any changes in needs as they knew people so well; this continuity of care was enabled by having a core number of staff supporting individuals. The registered manager explained how they prioritised and valued matching personalities of staff with the right people, to maximise the benefits of the care being provided and promote trusting relationships between both parties.Managers operated a daily on-call system and were able to attend people’s homes quickly should staff need support with an immediate change in a person’s needs. In an emergency the registered manager told us they would either stay with the person until medical help arrived so staff could continue with their visits, or they would step in to complete other visits whilst the staff member stayed with the person taken unwell. Staff were able to raise concerns quickly via the digital system application, calling the office or the on-call manager, so they could always access support and guidance. There had been times when staff had voluntarily stayed over their contracted hours to make sure someone was comfortable, demonstrating a commitment to the individuals needs in that moment, for example, after someone had a fall. Daily notes illustrated staff responding to people’s requests, for example, ‘requested a sip of sparkling water’ and ‘asked to put a nice top on which I did.’

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 provided staff with regular supervision and chances to offer feedback. Rota and work patterns were evenly allocated and flexible working was accommodated, with staff being supported in making sure they kept a positive work life balance, and managers recognising that personal emergencies or situations may requires extra support and a change of plans. They told us they supported staff through certain challenges, such as menopause or family changes, and they kept a staff care basket in the office with emergency personal supplies, so staff could pop in if they needed access to any personal toiletries when working. Staff felt appreciated and valued by the registered manager and the service they worked for with one staff member saying, “It is a caring, thorough and hard-working care company and I am proud to be part of the team.” Another staff member said, “I feel well supported, if I have any issues I can come to either manager.” The registered manager was passionate about recognising staff achievement and positive work, valuing the enthusiasm it created for staff moving forward, and they encouraged development, progression and team building with organised social gatherings like “Tea and Cake Tuesday.”