Eleanor Nursing & Social Care Ltd - Greenwich Branch

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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.

This is the first assessment for this service. This key question has been rated requires improvement. This meant people did not always feel well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect.

We found the provider to be in breach of the legal regulation in relation to dignity and respect. People were not always treated with dignity and respect.

This service scored 62 (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 did not treat people with kindness, empathy and compassion. Feedback from people and relatives showed the quality of care people received from the service was at times not caring and task focused.

People and relatives told us the care and support they received lacked kindness. A person told us, “They [staff] don’t want to know me much. Some are rude, some people care, some people don’t care. They don’t call my real name in English.” Another person told us, “Sometimes I don’t think they have the right training. The new ones, the way they treat me. They think they are doing you a favour some of them.”

Relatives told us, “Some of the staff are very good, but not all of them….they don’t put time in to get to know the [person]. Some try to get acquainted themselves, and others just come for the hours.” Another relative told us, “Most carers are very good. Some carers are misbehaved. I don’t need to explain anything to the very good one. Some carers don’t know how to look after [person]. More than three, four times, they were rude. It becomes a concern.” A third relative told us, “Not many of them are well trained, they are called carers but in practice they are not.”

We also received some feedback which showed a lack of empathy shown for people who had pets which impacted on the care they received. We found this had not been managed well and risk assessed appropriately to ensure people and relatives did not experience distress whilst maintaining the safety of staff that may have a fear of animals.A person told us, “I have a dog, and they sent someone [staff member] who is scared of dogs. I had the same person on the 23rd and 24th December when they sent a lady who is scared of dogs, and refused to come in. I cancelled the visits. They can’t put her [the dog] away, because I can’t move.The daily notes for this person showed a similar incident occurred in May 2026 and the staff member had been advised to leave because the dog was in the home.

A relative also told us, “Some carers are so scared of animals. [Person] has a dog as a comfort companion. It is all on their notes. Sometimes carers are on training, or are on holiday. Different carers turn up, and shout at [person] to lock up the dog, which they can’t do. As an organisation, you should put the right staff in place to look after people.”

We raised these issues with the registered manager who expressed their disappointment as work had been undertaken by the service to promote person centred care practice. For example, records showed disciplinary actions had been taken where poor performance by staff had been identified.The registered manager told us recruitment practices had been amended to strengthen the screening process of new staff for phobias or other limitations that may affect their ability to deliver care and ensure staff were appropriately matched with people to reduce any disruption to their care.

Notwithstanding the above we received positive feedback from some people. A person told us, “The regular carers make you feel good. I look forward to seeing them, as I can freely talk to them.” Another person told us, “[Staff] is incredible. I feel cared for. She knows my routine. She goes above and beyond.” A relative told us, [Person] likes the carers, they are very nice people. They chat to [person], have a laugh together. Lovely atmosphere with them. 10 out of 10.” Another relative told us, “The carers engage, [person] really appreciates the interaction. I can hear them laughing in the bathroom, which is wonderful.”

People and their relatives told us their privacy was respected. A person told us, “When I’m out of the shower, they [staff] make sure I’m covered and they put towels around me. The door is closed when visitors are here.” Relatives told us, “They [staff] are supporting [person] to live at home with dignity and support. It gives [person] confidence and gives me confidence that [person] is looked after” and “They [staff] will make sure we are outside the room. They close the curtains when they are changing [person], they respect [person].”

The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. People’s care records contained information about their individual needs, preferences, personal, cultural, social and religious needs which were accommodated for. People were supported with their beliefs and visited their places of worships such as the church and temple. A person told us, “Friday we pray, they give me time to pray.” A relative told us, “We are catholic and there is holy water beside [person] and their rosary beads, they listen to [person].”

People were supported and encouraged to maintain relationships with people who were important to them and have access to activities and the local community to promote and support their independence, health and wellbeing and enable them to follow their interests.

The provider promoted people’s independence and encouraged them to do as much as they could for themselves. A person told us, “[Staff] treats me like a person. I would be lost without her, she is lovely.” Another person told us, “I brush my teeth. They [staff] help me with the water, but I do brush my teeth, dress myself, wash my face. They help me.” A relative told us, “When they wash [person] in the morning, [person] does it themselves, every day.”

Care records showed people and relatives were involved in making choices about their care and treatment. Care reviews with people and relatives took place in which people’s care was discussed and reviewed, and they were involved in making decisions about their care to ensure people’s needs were continually being met. A relative told us, “We have a meeting next week to discuss personal care and they [staff] are invited. Eleanor are excellent. They will also flex the care package.”

The provider understood people’s needs in the moment and processes were in place to help minimise any discomfort, concern or distress in these instances. A person told us, “Yes, if I have a GP appointment I tell my carer and she informs the office, or I call the office directly. They are good, they are really responsive.” A relative told us, “If I need them to be a bit earlier in the morning or the evening they have always been good. I would say they are very good and helpful. They are very flexible.”

Care records reflected any foreseeable risks to people and how they should be managed to reduce the potential for harm. Records detailed support in place for people such as family support and use of wearable emergency devices to summon help when needed. Contingency plans were in place and levels of risk assessed based on people’s specific vulnerabilities such as living alone and support they would require in emergency situations such as adverse weather conditions and staffing issues. The service also had an out-of-hours system in place for people if any support was needed out of regular working hours. A relative told us, “[Person] has a telecare pendant, and they will help them look for it if they don’t have it on.”

The service had an electronic care planning system which was accessible to people and relatives via an App which provided information on any changes to people’s conditions or support needs. A relative told us, “I have access to the App and that’s been a godsend. It’s really helpful. I know if someone is running late. It’s an asset in managing the whole process.”

Staff also had access to the App which helped them be aware of the support provided and any changes to people’s conditions or support needs and respond to people promptly. A staff member told us, “We can read previous visits notes on the app so we can have an idea what happened, if [person] had eaten or had a wash or not.” Another staff member told us, “Any changes would be in the app and in the care plan which is updated. We would have to read the care plan and be aware of the changes. We have a task set up and updates on there so that would prompt us.”

The provider promoted the wellbeing of their staff. Staff we spoke with told us they felt supported and valued by their colleagues and management. A staff member told us, “Yes, they do support with wellbeing, we can report any issue with them, they’re supporting us with everything we need.” Another staff member told us, “Yes, I do [feel supported] if you have a bad day, you could call anybody here, the atmosphere is friendly, inviting and they’re all very welcoming.”

Staff told us they could raise any concerns, and they were confident they would be addressed. Staff told us, “As an employee, you know you can work here, it’s always good morning, hello, how are you? If you have an issue, you know it will be dealt with” and “They call us, we have the carers forum, we have supervision, we speak to coordinator or line manager, if any difficulty they are always open for a chat.”

Staff felt valued and management staff showed pride when staff did well through practical measures and recognition initiatives. Achievements and milestones were celebrated and staff contribution and teamwork were recognised such as carer of the month, career development and academic achievements. A staff member was nominated as Coordinator of the Year which was celebrated and rewarded as an appreciation of their good work.

Team building events were organised which promoted a sense of belonging such as bowling, playing pool and celebrating birthdays. A staff member told us, “Yes, they are caring. Always check up on us and building a bond with us.”

The service had a dedicated Employee Assistance Programme (EPA) in place which gives staff confidential access to services such as counselling, emotional support, financial advice, and wellbeing resources. The registered manager told us she maintained a genuine open-door approach and staff knew they could come to her at any time, whether it’s work-related, personal, or simply needing a moment to decompress.