SDL Kingston

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. People and relatives were complimentary about their care workers. They got on with their care worker well and enjoyed their company. Comments from people and relatives about their care workers included, “They’re friendly, kind, funny, loving and very caring”; “It’s a pleasure to have them. Look forward to them coming”; “They have a good sense of humour. Happy girls”; “They’re sweet, patient, really nice”; “They’re very courteous to the elderly.” And “They have total respect. The way they treat me and look after my home.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure people’s care and support met people’s needs and preferences. They took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics. Staff told us, “I respect their individuality and culture and religion or their beliefs andencourage them to have control over care.” Another staff member said, “I treat them as individuals, not just focusing on their condition or need for support. Making sure they are listened to, valued and understood.” However, we found that care records focused on people’s support needs, and did not provide much information about the person, their life history, their interests or what was important to them. We discussed this with the registered manager who told us care records would be updated to provide more information to enable care to be further tailored to the individual.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care and wellbeing. People’s care records emphasised the importance to enable people to do as much as they could for themselves. This was echoed in feedback received from care workers, who told us, “I support people to be as independent as possible by giving them small tasks and supporting only where there is a need.” And “I give them space and allow them to finish the task.” People felt involved in their care and that their decisions were respected. A relative told us, “[Their care worker] always ask them what they want.” Staff explained to us how they involved people in decision making and supported them to be involved in all aspects of their care. They worked with people when making day to day decisions about what meal to prepare and picking clothes out for the day.

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 anticipate their needs. They always checked with people if there was any additional support people required and were flexible in their approach. One person told us, “[The care worker] carries out the tasks that I want and always ask if there is anything else I need.” Another person said, “When I have asked for an early visit for say a hospital appointment, they have been very flexible.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff felt well supported by their management team. They felt managers were approachable and open. Comments from staff included, “I have a good relationship with the management team, and I know they care about us, and they considered our wellbeing. I am very confident that all the issues I have, personal or work, I am welcome to talk to them, and I always get good results. I am very happy with them and wouldn’t change it for anything”; “The management team look after their staff and our wellbeing is considered important.” A staff rewards scheme was in place to ensure all staff felt valued and to recognise the hard work that they delivered.