Phoenix Healthcare

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

Requires improvement: This meant people did not always feel well-supported, cared for or treated with dignity and respect.

This service scored 55 (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 always treat people with kindness, empathy and compassion, or respect their privacy and dignity.

People told us their regular carers were friendly, caring and supported them with dignity. One person told us, “My usual carers are lovely and always treat me well, I feel safe with them.” Relatives also described positive relationships with long‑standing staff.

However, this was not consistent across the service. People and relatives told us their experience varied depending on which staff attended. Some agency staff or unfamiliar carers did not always show the same level of understanding. One relative said, “The regular carers are amazing, but some agency staff don’t know [family member] so I don’t feel I can leave them on their own.” People told us that unfamiliar staff sometimes rushed tasks or did not communicate well, which affected how dignified and comfortable they felt during care.

The provider did not always treat people as individuals or make sure people’s care, support and treatment met people’s needs and preferences. They did not always take account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People told us regular carers understood their routines and supported them in a way that felt personal and respectful. One person told us, “[Staff member] knows me well and if I’m having a bad day, they change how they support me to match what I need on that day.”

However, this was not consistent across the service, depending on whether agency or regular carers carried out the support needed. People and relatives told us staff did not always take the time to understand people’s preferred ways of receiving care. This meant support was sometimes task‑focused rather than tailored. A relative told us, “The regular staff know exactly what matters to [people] but agency staff don’t always read the care plan or ask what they prefer.”

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

People told us their regular staff encouraged people to do as much as they could for themselves and respected their choices about how they wanted their care delivered. Care plans reflected people’s preferences, including what mattered to them, and how they preferred to be supported.

Staff demonstrated a good understanding of the importance of promoting control and independence.

The provider did not always listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment or act to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

People and relatives told us their experience varied depending on which staff attended. The high use of agency staff meant people were often supported by carers who did not know them well, which affected how quickly and appropriately staff could recognise and respond to what people needed in the moment.

The provider did not always care about and promote the wellbeing of their staff.

Although some staff told us they felt supported by the management team and they had no concerns, the majority of staff told us they did not receive regular supervisions, and there were no consistent opportunities to discuss concerns, performance or support needs. This meant issues were not always identified or addressed in a timely way.

Staff also reported that they were not always paid correctly or on time, which caused significant stress and worry. Some staff told us this affected their ability to work and their confidence in the provider. Several staff described feeling overwhelmed, and some said these pressures impacted the way they were able to support people during visits.