Delight Supported Living Ltd

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 70 (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. One person’s relative told us, “The care workers are so lovely, polite and kind and always respectful.” Another relative said, “Always polite and kind to [person] and to me as well, they (staff) are lovely.” Staff received training in privacy, dignity and person-centred care, and treated people in a compassionate way. One relative said, “The carers are very kind, and [person’s] main carer [name] is lovely. At bath time I hear them giggling – it’s so good for [person].” Staff were often described as like family or friends. A person said, “I have [name of staff member] who is wonderful and like a daughter to me, and [name] who is really good too.”

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. One person told us, “[Staff member] is my main carer and we get on really well. We chat a lot and [staff member] is lovely. [Staff member] knows what I need and notices everything.” A relative said, “Lovely staff, friendly and chatty and engaging.” A staff member told us, “One person loves music, and the last time I was with [person] it was [seasonal event]. [Person] loves the day and plays a song. I dance with [person] to remind them of [seasonal event].” Another staff member described, “Assisting [people] to go to community groups, meeting friends for tea, walking or doing art and crafts.” Records reminded staff about what was important to people, such as family members, pets and interests. However, whilst care plans recorded some basic information about likes, dislikes and personal history, this could benefit from further enhancement to support the provision of individualised care.

The provider sought to promote people’s independence. However, due to shortfalls in consent and capacity assessments, the provider did not always ensure people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing within a legal framework. Despite this, we found in practice people were offered choice and their preferences were respected. One person’s care plan showed, ‘I prefer carers who show compassion and empathise with me. I will choose the carers I want from the carers introduced to me.’ We discussed this with the registered manager who confirmed this was followed in practice. People also told us their decisions about who provided personal care support were followed. A relative told us, “We said female carers and we have always had female carers.” This helped to support people to have as much choice as possible. Most care plans clearly set out how people’s independence should be respected. For example, 1 person’s care plan stated, ‘I will guide you with the assistance I need. Please do not rush me and let me do as much as I can myself.’ A relative said, “The care workers do know what they are doing and if [person] doesn’t want to get up for example, they don’t push too hard, but they do encourage.” However, other care plans did not always set out how people should be empowered to be as independent as possible. More work was required to ensure good practice was consistently applied throughout care plan records.

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. This included in the event of an emergency or in response to any change in need, including if a person was feeling upset or distressed. A relative said, “The care workers are very good. They are kind and will go the extra mile. Care workers will pick up things for [person] and will comfort [person] if [person] is upset about anything.” The staff were proactive in noticing change in need or presentation and were quick to seek external support as required. A relative said, “About 6 months ago [person] had an infection. The care worker called the ambulance and called me. They ticked all the boxes and waited with [person] until someone came.” This helped to ensure the person was not in prolonged discomfort. Concerns could also be raised to the office team, so onward referrals were raised as required. A staff member said, “I can proudly say I made a difference in someone's life.”

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 well supported and were encouraged to improve their skills through learning to drive and taking nationally recognised qualifications. A staff member told us, “Management supports our wellbeing by providing training, supervision, guidance and open communication. They encourage staff development and make sure we supported and safe at work.” Another staff member told us, “It makes you feel valued.” The provider held a sponsorship licence for staff and had created information guides for staff to support them when moving to the UK. Staff told us leaders were approachable at all levels, and they would recommend the service as a good place to work.