Carers Break Community Interest Company

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• 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 90 (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. Staff always treated colleagues from other organisations with kindness and respect.

Staff excelled in delivering kind and compassionate care. They always looked for ways to improve people’s lives. Professionals told us, “Many staff are prepared to, and will go above and beyond.” and “The carers have built up wonderful relationships with the couple” and “If I needed care, or if I could have the time again to sort out [relatives] care, I would have no hesitation asking Carers Break to help” and “I have heard staff talk about feeling the emotion and the pain of the people they support, sharing their concerns with them; these are not the actions of people who do not care.”

The provider was able to support a person who was grieving to scatter their loved one’s ashes. This was done with compassion and sensitivity; the person’s first language was not English. However, the provider was able to organise someone to support them who could speak the same language and were able to offer comfort. Scattering the ashes was highly significant to this person.

People described staff as very nice people, always helpful and friendly. One person said, “I can’t imagine what life would be like without Carers Break.” These comments reflected the strong emotional connections people had formed with staff and the positive impact this had on their wellbeing.

Staff spoke warmly of the people they supported and told us, “A key part of induction training is being encouraged to raise concerns and whistle blow, asking people what their concerns are and acting upon them.

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

The provider matched people with care staff based on personal attributes to help build trusting relationships and ensure a high-quality service. For example, a young person who required one to one support wanted a same sex care staff who had similar interests and could support them with their interests in music, chess and gaming often over several hours. This had worked well and the person had bonded well with the support worker. The person is now pursuing a university course and has expressed an interest in learning a new language and so for shorter visits the provider was able to support them.

Care plans included details about what was important to people. One care plan said, ‘[Person] likes to think of her support visit as having lunch out with a friend.” This shaped how care staff approached visits. Individual’s beliefs and preferences were respected in everyday practice. Care staff told us, “Cultural needs are captured, [Name] likes to go to church and does not like to hear blasphemy.”

We saw evidence people were actively supported to take positive risks to enhance their quality of life and reduce social isolation. For example, one person was supported to attend a significant personal event. After the risks had been assessed and appropriate permissions obtained the person was able to spend the morning with their childhood hero. This demonstrated the provider balanced safety with people’s rights to choice, independence and enriched life experiences.

We observed staff chatting positively with a person about where they might go and what they might do. It was clear the person was able to make their own choices. Staff were flexible in their approach and led by the persons preferences.

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

Care staff told us, “Socialising means a lot to the person, I let them do what they want to do, not telling them, always asking them what they would like to do.” and “I try to get them to do as much as they can. One person with an acquired injury helps when we do the shopping list together, helps with the housework but always doing it together, we ask what they want to do, boosting their confidence to maintain independence and offer praise when things go well.”

Professionals told us, “The staff team have been approachable, professional and clearly committed to supporting people well.”

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 demonstrated patience and attentiveness when supporting people, particularly those with communication difficulties. Care staff took time to listen and allowed people space to express themselves. One staff member explained, “Lots of patience was key” and another said, “The more you work and spend time with people you form that layer of second sense.” We saw that staff were encouraged to say less and let the people they supported speak to actively listen and hear them and let them feel heard and respected.

Some people sometimes found it difficult to manage their emotions. This could result in them becoming distressed and agitated. Staff had guidance on how to support people at these times and what they could do to better support them. An external professional commented, “The care staff do their best in what can be a tricky situation.” There was an on-call system for staff to use if they needed additional help.

People and their relatives were confident staff consistently met people’s needs and responded promptly to any additional or emergency needs. People said, “They respond within the same day, even the same hour, a manager will come back straight away.”

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.

Managers were extremely supportive and care staff were actively encouraged to gain additional skills such as NVQ 2 and above.

A professional told us, “I was impressed with their openness to employing people with disabilities. The induction was excellent, it involved face to face training, many sessions of shadowing other staff members before being observed by the management team and left to work alone. The provider adapts hours and availability to support staff that have caring responsibilities.” Care staff told us, “Manager checks in and I have been able to take time off and work remotely, there is a lot of trust”, “Management is perfect at the moment”, and “The best company I have worked for.”

The provider adapted their training schedule to meet the needs of staff who were neurodiverse. The different schedule considered their concentration levels, learning styles and times of the day when they were more able to learn. Adjustments were made to allow the employees time to complete the training over a longer period.

The provider worked with ‘Access to work’ supporting a staff member with hearing difficulties to access the best equipment to assist their hearing in the workplace.

Each month the provider held a prize draw for staff. Three members of staff had an opportunity to win a paid for experience, this could be a meal, spa treatment or fuel for their car etc.

The provider had a subsidised private health care plan for employees to access if needed.

One staff member told us, “I felt treated as a person and not a number and felt valued for the work and the skills I brought.” and “I wish I had worked for the company about 12 years ago.”