The Pines Home Care

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 remained good. This meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 80 (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 had a clear understanding of the boundaries of confidentiality and worked within these. We observed a member of staff explaining this to a person’s housemates when they asked something about the person.

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 were at the centre of how their care and support was planned and delivered, with support being tailored to their individual needs and preferences. People told us staff worked in partnership with them to plan and provide their support. Staff also described how they worked with people in a personalised, individualised way. Support plans were accordingly personalised, reflecting people’s strengths, abilities and what they wanted to achieve, alongside their personal, social and cultural needs.

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

People felt nurtured and supported to enjoy opportunities and experiences that helped them thrive, enhancing their quality of life. We heard about and observed this in all our visits to people. For example, a member of staff supported someone to feel glamorous and body confident as they got ready for an evening out, knowing how important this was for their self-esteem and to feel confident with people. Someone else had shortly beforehand returned from breakfast out with their support worker. The support worker explained how the person used to be very anxious about going out, but staff had supported them to gain confidence, such that they now enjoyed trips out and had had a successful holiday with a friend, which would previously have been impossible for them. That the person was relaxed and content throughout their time away was testament to the security they found in their relationship with their keyworker.

Staff actively created opportunities for people to explore new interests and build connections, working in partnership with a range of community organisations. This was centred around each person and their wishes and interests. Someone serious about football proudly showed us their trophies; staff supported them to play with a community football club run in partnership with the local premiership football team. This promoted the person’s social inclusion and boosted their physical and mental wellbeing. People told us how staff supported them to use local facilities, such as gyms and swimming pools. A relative commented, “What has meant the most to us is the way they have encouraged [person] to make [their] own choices and enjoy [their] leisure time with confidence.”

People felt respected, listened to, and influential when expressing their wishes. Someone told us how moving into a house share with supported living assistance reflected the wish they had expressed to live independently when they left college. Staff had worked with them and their family to bring this about. People told us about holidays to places they had chosen, reflecting their personal wishes and interests as opposed to being led by staff.

People’s independence and autonomy was maximised. This was evident from speaking with people and observing how staff worked with them. For example, we heard about people’s paid and voluntary work. Staff supported them to build the skills needed to hold down a job, which increased their social inclusion and their financial independence. Staff had supported someone who had recently moved into their home to build skills for independence, such as getting to know the local area and its bus network. This reduced their reliance on staff and enabled them to start some voluntary work, to which they travelled independently.

The provider had been creative in exploring how technology could enhance people’s independence for individual people. People talked about using smartphones and tablets during our visits and they did so confidently during our visits. The registered manager and staff had supported people to use smartphones, tablets and assistive devices, which enabled people to have time to themselves without staff, enhancing their independence and sense of freedom. This involved staff teaching people how to use the equipment and providing support around their online safety.

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 prioritised people’s comfort and wellbeing. This was evident in the way they talked about people and the pleasure they took from people being content and enjoying life. Many staff knew the people they were supporting well and were able to anticipate what they needed before they became uncomfortable or upset. New staff worked several shadow shifts so they and the person could start getting to know each other. A worker who covered gaps in rotas confirmed the information they needed to support people well was available in support plans on the computerised care recording system and in people’s houses.

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

A positive work environment where managers had regular supportive contact with staff promoted staff wellbeing. They endeavoured to accommodate individual staff needs such as family caring commitments. Staff told us they felt well supported and that they were treated fairly. They felt able to raise any concerns about their work should they need to and that these would be taken seriously. The registered manager informed us that much of their staff recruitment was through word of mouth, from staff who recommended The Pines Home Care as a good place to work.