Trinity Homecare (Worcester Park)

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. At our last assessment we rated this key question good. At this assessment the rating has changed to outstanding. This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service.

This service scored 95 (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 was exceptional at treating people with kindness, empathy and compassion and in how they respected people’s privacy and dignity. People and their relatives told us, “All the staff are lovely, really lovely and kind and interested in [my family member]. I have total confidence in them and they chat to [my family member] all the time. Thank goodness for Trinity,” and “The main care worker we have is very good – they chat a lot and laugh a lot, have a great sense of humour. They are kind and encouraging.”

Care workers ensured people were treated with respect and their dignity was protected. Care workers were sensitive when supporting with personal care and ensured people remained comfortable throughout. A care worker told us, “I make sure they feel in control, listened to and treated with dignity.”

Care staff ensured that they did the little things that made a big difference to people’s life and enjoyment. For example, 1 person centred their day around going to the park and feeding the ducks, so their care staff ensured there was always their preferred duck food available. Another person had their favourite outfits and staff ensured the person’s laundry was regularly done so the person could have access to her preferred clothes. It was important to a third person to remember and acknowledge their family member’s birthdays. Their care workers had marked on a calendar all the birthdays and supported the person to remember when their families’ birthday was so they could write and post a card to arrive on time.

One person had a holiday cottage they previously used to visit with their family. Since their health had declined, they had not been to the cottage for some time. With support from their live in care worker they had been able to go back to their cottage and enjoy some relaxation in 1 of their favourite places.

Care staff empowered the people they were working with. Care staff found a person was entitled to receive recognition for their services during World War 2. With the person’s permission, their care worker contacted relevant parties to ensure the person was awarded for their services. They were also asked to go the Imperial War Museum to be interviewed about their role during the war.

The provider treated people as individuals and was exceptional in how they made sure people’s care and support met people’s needs and preferences. The provider took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Care workers understood the people they were supporting and respected their individualities. Care workers told us, “Each person is an individual, whether it be the requirement to bath under running water, dress in a certain way or relate to something differently to you. Everyone is different and we respect those differences,” and “I take the time to understand each client as an individual, including their backgrounds, preferences, and needs, so I can offer truly personalised support.”

Staff were aware of what was important to people. One person enjoyed gardening and growing their own food. They were no longer able to manage their garden on their own. Their care staff worked with them and learnt from them about how to care for their garden. Together they picked the grown fruit and vegetables and their care worker looked up recipes to cook them a meal to share using their freshly grown produce.

Staff supported people to build and maintain relationships with those that were important to them. We heard about the support provided to one person who had become separated from their biological family during their early years. Staff supported them to identify and reconnect with their biological family. Another person met someone when out in the community and they wanted support to go on a date with this person. Care staff supported the person and they have since had feedback from the other person’s relative who commented on how well the relationship is going and the positive impact it has had on both people’s wellbeing.

The provider promoted people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care and wellbeing.

Care workers encouraged people to express their opinions and ensure their choices were listened to. One care worker told us, “We listen to and encourage input and discussions. Enable them to have a voice in their care and support unhindered. The right to refuse, not be rushed and have things done in a certain way.” People’s choices about how they spent their time was respected and during companionship calls care workers supported people to engage in the community and activities of their choice. People confirmed they were in charge of their care. People told us, “Everything is my choice and I’m in control – I have choices about everything we do” and “They help me and I like the care worker very much but I’m in charge and have choices about everything.”

Care staff supported people to remain independent. One person told us, “They help me keep my independence and I know they are always there if I need them.” Care workers said, “I always encourage clients to do as much as they can for themselves, in order to support and encourage their independence” and “We encourage the individual to do as much for themselves as is possible so as not to de-skill them. We encourage and promote independence.” One person was fiercely independent. Their mobility and balance had been deteriorating but they were determined to continue to do things for themself. Their care staff had incorporated into their appointments time to support the person with their exercises so they could continue to be as mobile as possible.

The provider was exceptional in how they 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 understood the people they were supporting, including their use of non-verbal communication. They used this knowledge to respond to people’s immediate needs. They were able to recognise when a person was getting anxious and there were strategies in place to comfort and reassure people. One person sometimes became anxious when out in the wheelchair. If the person was supported to get out and push the wheelchair they calmed down and were happy to carry on with their outing.

Staff were aware of the impact of loneliness and isolation on a person’s mental health and went out of their way to support people with their emotional wellbeing. One person was of low mood and had become withdrawn. The person’s care manager had a dog and the person liked dogs. Their care manager took their dog to visit the person and sat with them for a couple of hours stroking the dog. They now enjoyed regular visits from their care manager’s dog and this has helped bring some enjoyment to their life.

Staff were well trained in supporting people’s mental health and recognising when people were experiencing mental ill health. During a phone call to the office, staff identified that a person was in a mental health crisis. They liaised with the person’s social worker, but they were unable to undertake an emergency visit. So staff arranged for the police to do a welfare check and were thanked for their efforts in ensuring the safety of the person.

The provider always cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff and was exceptional at supporting and enabling staff to always deliver person-centred care.

Care workers told us they felt extremely well supported in their role and that their management team made themselves available and supported their well-being. Care workers said, “I feel the management team looks after their staff. They often send out information about well-being and where to seek support and often ask how we are doing,” “The management team look after us very well. They are very supportive, very friendly and always there for us. My well-being is definitely considered” and “My manager and my care coordinator listen to me and try to help when I have problems. They make sure I have breaks and support my wellbeing so I can do my job well and feel good at work.”

Care staff told us their managers had a flexible approach and supported them to create a work pattern that met their individual needs as well as the needs of the company. Live in staff were able to set their own rota and inform their care managers as to how long they would like to stay at someone’s home before having a break. Live in staff were also able to stipulate whether they wanted to return to supporting the same individual or whether they would like to support a number of individuals with a range of needs to develop their skill set. Staff were able to tailor their schedule if they were completing further qualifications and wanted to focus their studies on supporting people with a particular need or diagnosis. One care worker told us, “When I joined Trinity I was asked what would be my preferred rotation as Trinity do their best to abide by our preferences.”

Staff’s wellbeing was prioritised. It begun during recruitment to ensure new staff felt welcomed and comfortable at the service, and continued throughout their time with the company. Staff went out of their way to ensure care staff had face to face contact and support, out in the field or in the office. A staff wellbeing room was available at head office, should staff need some time to have a break or debrief after a particularly difficult care visit.

Members of the management team shadowed staff on shift to understand more the stresses and strains they experienced. One member of the management team told us this had given them an insight into the difficulties of trying to manage call times during the teatime/early evening period when traffic was high and demand on calls were high, and had fed back their experiences to the scheduling team so this could be looked into.