STEPS

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 75 (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 treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff demonstrated a compassionate approach with people. Staff showed warmth and respect during interactions, ensuring people felt valued and listened to. One staff member said, “If you haven't got kindness, you shouldn’t be in this job.”

People, relatives and health care professionals repeatedly told us staff were kind and caring. Comments from people and relatives included, “They were so kind and caring and went out of their way, they always made sure I was comfortable before they left” and “They are really friendly and are so thoughtful and give [relative] privacy when needed.”

People were encouraged to retain and fully express their individuality and share their sense of humour with others. One person’s relative explained, “One of the staff sang the Hokey Cokey, which I think was so lovely and they really enjoyed conversation with my husband which pleases me.” We observed staff engaged in relaxed, friendly conversations, using humour appropriately and always maintaining privacy.

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.

Staff delivered kind and compassionate care. They always looked for ways to improve people’s lives. Professionals told us, “The team are easily approachable and have consistently demonstrated a person-centred approach.”

People described staff as very nice people, always helpful and friendly. One person said, “I couldn’t fault them for a minute because they always went out of their way to make sure that they had done their job properly.” Staff were flexible in their approach and led by the person’s preferences.

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

At the first visit, senior support staff identified what equipment was needed to support people with their independence. Care staff told us, “I encourage them to do whatever they can for themselves, I make sure they have a good attempt at and support when they can’t” and “Encouragement to do things, coming up with ideas using aids or techniques with cooking and personal care to give people confidence.”

Professionals told us, “STEPS care delivery, collaborative and person-centred care has been noted, this has been seen in practice and evident in classroom training.”

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 demonstrated patience and attentiveness when supporting people. Care staff took time to listen and encouraged people to express themselves during visits, noting people’s body language and facial expressions. Staff told us they received a lot training on communication and that people’s communication needs were highlighted in their care records. Staff told us, “You are assessing all the time to see if people are improving.”

People and relatives described the staff as “very encouraging” and “All my needs are met and even the fact that they are friendly makes a big difference.” Care staff described how they were supported when they needed to call an ambulance for a person with a suspected stroke, they were asked if they needed some time out. There was an effective on-call manager system for staff to use if they needed help or guidance.

Professionals told us, “The STEPS team demonstrate a high standard of stroke patient care, marked by specialised competence and a compassionate approach.”

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.

The provider adapted their training schedule to meet the needs of staff who were neurodiverse. Policies and procedures were available to view online content in different colours or formats for ease of reading. Paper copies are offered for those unable to see the detail on their digital device and the provider had a ‘translate’ option available for staff to read in their preferred language. Staff who were not confident accessing eLearning were given one to one support in the office to complete their mandatory training.

Care staff told us, they felt supported and were offered opportunities to debrief after a person had died. Staff told us, “Colleagues are brilliant” and “The office will phone and email, supervisor is brilliant, always checking in.”

The provider offered staff benefits including, discounted lease cars, discount on gym memberships and a cycle to work scheme. There was an option to purchase technology through a salary sacrifice scheme.