MCS Healthcare

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 of the service since their registration in October 2023. 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.

People were treated with kindness by staff that respected their privacy and dignity. A relative told us, “I think the staff have all been really good and really caring and good at forming a connection with [family member]. They don’t ignore them, they make an effort with them. Sometimes they will go above and beyond for them.” A staff member said, “I work with empathy and follow the care plan that is planned for [person using the service]. I remember the first day I was supporting [person using the service] I was given freedom to really care for the person.” Managers undertook regular spot checks on staff to seek assurances that people were always treated with kindness and compassion by staff.

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 and support was tailored to meet their individual needs. People’s care plans were current and instructed staff on how people’s individual needs and preferences should be met. Staff understood how to treat people as individuals and provide care and support in line with their needs and preferences. Managers undertook monitoring and reviews of people’s care and support needs at regular intervals to make sure care plans reflected people’s current individual needs and preferences.

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

People had choice and control over how their care and support was provided. Their choices and decisions were reflected in the care and support planned for them. People were involved in making day-to-day decisions and their choices were listened to and respected. A staff member told us, “One person has a communication book and we use this to help the person make choices about what they would like and what to do.” Managers undertook monitoring and reviews of people’s care records at regular intervals to make sure these remained up to date and current about their choices for their care and support needs.

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 knew people well and understood the signs, triggers and other factors that might cause people to become anxious or distressed in the moment. They understood how to minimise the risk of discomfort or distress to people in the way that was most safe and appropriate for them.

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

Staff were well supported by managers. A staff member told us, “They (managers) are very supportive. They are there to listen to you and they support with you any difficulties. They make the working environment safe for you.” The director of nursing said, “We do wellbeing checks with our staff over the phone, and we also talk to staff on our visits. We support our staff whenever there is an incident. We also check in with staff with sickness or other absences to see how they are and if they need additional support.” Staff had access to an employee assistance programme which they could contact at any time for confidential advice about personal or work issues that may be impacting their work performance and wellbeing. Managers used spot checks and supervision to identify and deliver any additional support staff needed to help them undertake their roles effectively.