Caremark Lewes and Wealden North

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- amend as required 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 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 registered manager 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 and their loved ones all told us that staff treated them with kindness and respect. Comments included, “They are very caring” and “I can’t praise them highly enough.” This was confirmed by professionals we spoke with, one saying, “They are caring and very patient focussed.” A staff member added, “I treat them the way I would want one of my relatives treated.” People’s dignity was consistently respected. Staff told us for example how they supported people in the bathroom and how they encouraged them to do what they could themselves and wherever possible would cover up to protect their dignity. This was all achieved with safety at the centre of any interaction.

The registered manager 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. Most of the time people received their support from the same small group of staff who over time built up an understanding and professional rapport with each of them. Staff respected people’s preferences and routines and understood what a good or a bad day looked like for them. Care plans described care outcomes, what looked best for people with any given task or activity. Some people lived with dementia and their understanding of daily events fluctuated. A good day was described as one where their families and care staff were kind and understanding and gave them time to understand their individual needs.

The registered manager promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care, treatment and wellbeing. People’s independence to carry out daily tasks was always promoted by staff with the assurance that people’s safety was never compromised. Maintaining independence was important to people and most were able to achieve a lot of activities themselves. A member of staff said, “They have always been independent, it’s really important to them. Still goes to get a meal or if asks for something we can help. A real balance between independence and safety to avoid falls.” A relative added, “They do encourage them to be independent. They do a lot of things themselves but they are close if needed.” Independence was promoted through care plans always describing first what people could achieve independently before then describing any support needed.

The registered manager 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. People’s needs were responded to immediately by staff who cared about the people they supported and understood what their needs and preferences were. A person told us, “I can’t complain. They are very caring and I always feel safe. Everything I have asked for they have done.” A relative added, “Any issues they deal with straight away. Health issues or concerns are dealt with immediately, can’t fault them.” Systems were in place for when a care call overran due to unexpected additional support being needed. The registered manager and wider management team were able to respond and attend calls to support staff or arrange cover for later calls if needed.

The registered manager cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. The registered manager understood the importance of maintaining a workforce who were happy and fulfilled in their work whilst maintaining a work life balance to suit individual staff needs. This was achieved without compromising the support provided to people. The registered manager had recently introduced a carer of the month award. A process that celebrated an individual staff member, their achievements and continuing good work. All staff were able to experience this process over time and the process had been received well. Comments from staff included, “If I need a day off, they can accommodate it. Get rota a week ahead but can say if need time off or if have car issues or poorly” and “They know where we are. If I don’t log out due to poor signal in a remote area they will call me. I feel very supported. Some places are very remote and in winter tricky. Get loads of texts to make sure we are ok.”