Consensus Community Support - Surrey

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 service since their registration in February 2024. 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. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

People were treated with kindness, dignity, and respect by staff. A relative told us, “I think the staff are kind and respect [family member] and they are very caring. I think they have their best interests at heart.” A staff member said, “I always make sure I have a smile on my face. I never raise my voice. I always try my best to provide their care needs. I just want to make sure they are happy, had a good day, and that I’ve provided them with the best care.”

Staff were attentive and responsive when people communicated their needs and wishes. They encouraged people to express themselves and they listened. A relative said, “They are kind, talk to [family member] respectfully and they do interact with them well.”

Staff respected people’s privacy and living environment, supporting them to spend time alone or with family and friends when they wished. They provided care and support discreetly whilst maintaining people’s dignity. A staff member told us, “I make sure when I’m [providing personal care], people have privacy.”

Managers carried out observations and spot checks to ensure people were consistently treated well and that staff practice reflected expected standards of care and respect. A relative told us, “[Service manager] has been doing unannounced visits at night to the service, and this gives me some assurances as a parent.”

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 choices and preferences were used to plan and deliver their care and support in line with their individual needs. Staff knew people well and provided care in accordance with their preferences, for example, supporting people to actively practice their faith.

Relatives were involved in sharing information about people’s histories and preferences to support a fuller understanding of what was important to them.

Managers monitored and reviewed care records to ensure they remained up to date and reflective of people’s current 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 were supported to have choice and control over how their care and support was provided, which was reflected in the planning and delivery of care. Their daily routines and activities were based on their preferences and needs.

Staff offered choices and supported people to do as much as they were able and wished to, in relation to daily living tasks. A staff member told us, “For [person using the service], we promote them to write their shopping list with support and go with them if they want. If [person using the service] wants to go by themself, they can do, as they have capacity.”

Managers reviewed care records to ensure they remained up to date and reflected people’s current choices and preferences.

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 were able to recognise signs, triggers, and factors that could cause anxiety or distress. They supported people in a safe and appropriate way, using reassurance and personalised approaches, in line with people’s positive behaviour support plans, to minimise their discomfort and reduce distress in the moment. A relative told us, “I was there last week when someone got upset, and the staff deescalated that situation. However, this triggered [family member] and I observed the staff use the policy and agreed measures for deescalating their [behaviours of concern]. It takes skill to get through these episodes, and they do try with this.”

Managers reviewed all incidents involving behaviours of concern to ensure staff had responded appropriately and effectively and to identify any learning that could further improve support for people.

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

The current service manager had made recent improvements to ensure staff were

well supported in their roles. They made sure they were approachable and available to provide guidance, when needed. A staff member told us, “Since [service manager] has been here, staff are more able to communicate better, and we can talk to managers and approach them. [Service manager] is always there when I need them.” Another staff member said, “[Service manager] has a lot of time for the staff team, and for those that are willing, she will support them closely. The general care for people has been better because the staff are a lot happier.”

Managers used supervision meetings with staff to identify any additional support required to carry out their roles effectively. They were proactive in signposting staff to wellbeing support when appropriate. This included access to mental health champions and an employee assistance programme offering confidential advice on personal or work-related issues.