Springfield Healthcare (Sheffield)

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 treated people with kindness, empathy and compassion and respected their privacy and dignity. Staff treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect. Staff demonstrated a caring, compassionate attitude towards the people they supported and the care they provided them. One staff told us, “I make sure I promote dignity, respect, privacy and independence. For example, by knocking before entering rooms, offering choices, encouraging people to do as much as they can for themselves and always speaking respectfully.” People and their families were mainly positive about how staff supported them although some told us they felt more comfortable with some staff than others particularly when they didn’t know who was coming. One person commented, “They always treat me with kindness and respect.” Another person told us, “They are kind and helpful when they’re here.”

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. However, some improvements were needed to some care plans to ensure all staff understood people’s individual needs, preferences and communication requirements. Overall people and relatives told us that staff who visited regularly understood their needs and wishes. One relative told us, “They smile and talk to [person] gently, even when [person] is having a bad day.” However, some people expressed concern that sometimes they felt rushed or staff who didn’t visit regularly, sometimes did not know how they wanted to be supported. One person told us, “I feel like they just want to do a task and get out quick.” A relative told us, “It would help if they knew [person’s] routine better, so I didn’t have to explain every time.” We discussed with the provider concerns raised from some people around not always receiving care from staff of their preferred gender. The provider confirmed they made every effort to fulfil these requests and that they had been working with the local authority to address this. With recruitment of new staff, they hoped to address the gender imbalance of staff transferred from other providers to ensure going forwards people consistently received care from their preferred gender choice.

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 encouraged to maintain their independence and make choices about their daily care and support. One relative told us, “They help us to stay as independent as we can.” Staff were clear of their responsibilities in supporting people with independence choice and control. Staff told us, “I support independence by encouraging people to do as much as they can for themselves, offering assistance only when needed. For example, supporting someone to dress by laying out clothes and letting them choose” and “I encourage them to participate in their daily routine as much as possible.”

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. Care records showed that where staff noted changes in people’s needs health interventions were sought and followed up. The provider had been proactive in establishing good networks and relationships with both health professionals and partners to enhance the support offered to people.

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff, and supported and enabled staff to always deliver person-centred care. Staff from induction were provided with the skills and knowledge to feel confident to provide safe and effective support. Support was provided through supervision and team meetings and staff encouraged to develop professionally. The provider had systems in place to recognise staff performance and build staff morale including annual staff awards, carer of the month and other incentives. Staff overall were positive about the support they received. One staff member who transferred told us, “The transition to Springfield Healthcare was smooth and well supported. I was provided with clear guidance and felt welcomed into the team, which enabled me to adapt quickly to new systems and procedures.” Another staff told us, “Springfield Healthcare (Sheffield) is a supportive and friendly place to work, with a real focus on high quality care.”