Baxters Homecare

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

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.

Records evidenced staff interacting with people with continuous empathy and compassion and always noted how they respected people’s dignity. A person’s relative told us they felt consistently supported by the service, saying, “Staff are absolutely kind,” and “[Person’s] dignity is preserved.”

A person told us staff knew them exceptionally well, and staff were like family. A person told us, “I’m over the moon with them, they are a great bunch of people.”

Professionals gave consistently positive feedback. They told us, “They treated [person] kindly and with compassion and have a lovely relationship with person]”, and “Staff and management are described as caring, respectful, and compassionate in their approach. In my professional interactions, staff have been responsive, professional, and approachable.”

The provider spoke with clear empathy and compassion about people they supported. Staff told us, “I always call [person] by their preferred name” and, “I get to know [person] to create a good relationship with 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.

People received highly personalised care that was centred around their individual needs, preferences and what mattered most to them. Staff held detailed conversations with people and their loved ones about their individual preferences to ensure that care was highly individualised. Care plans contained detailed information about people’s cultural and religious preferences, as well as aspects of daily life that were important to them, including how they liked to look and smell.

For people who were unable to communicate verbally, relatives were actively involved in providing guidance to ensure care reflected the person’s usual routines, including their personal care and grooming preferences. Relatives and professionals told us staff consistently respected and followed this guidance. Staff explained they routinely reviewed care plans before providing support and then spent time getting to know each person, building positive relationships and becoming familiar with their routines over time. This ensured care was delivered in a consistent, respectful and person‑centred way that upheld people’s dignity and individuality.

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

Care plans were always detailed and clear. For example, if people were not able to express their needs and wishes, guidance was included in the care plans to enable staff to work with relatives and use the information to be able to better understand and support people. Staff gave us examples of how they supported people to be independent, for example, encouraging individuals to choose their outfits and which meal they might eat. Records evidenced staff respecting people’s choices when they refused care. This meant people were able to work in partnership with the provider about their care.

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.

Leaders and staff were available throughout the day and night and responded to people’s needs immediately. Staff knew people very well and were quickly able to recognise if a person was starting to experience a decline in their wellbeing. The provider had systems and processes in place to review people’s wellbeing in real time and act quickly to minimise the risk of any cause for concern.

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 registered manager had supported many staff to relocate internationally to work for the provider. Staff were recruited through an in‑person interview process in their home country, and the registered manager took thoughtful steps to help them understand the expectations, standards, and cultural context of providing care in England.

Staff told us they were given a full induction. A staff member told us, “Yes, [the registered manager] flew to [home country] where we met others we would be working with. [Registered manager] had detailed information, got our feedback...even though we were competent, we were given more training knowing we were in a different country, with every individual case being unique.” The registered manager provided ongoing supervision, check ins, and team meetings offered space for staff to discuss their experiences and receive emotional support, including when adjusting to being far from home.

Staff were also assisted with practical matters such as finding accommodation and accessing learning opportunities to develop their skills and progress in their roles.

The registered manager evidenced the support given to staff to prioritise their wellbeing and enabled them to provide exceptional person-centred care. Staff were nominated and had won national awards for care and had been supported to attend the awards as a team which was fully funded by the provider. Staff were given the necessary resources and facilities for safe working including regular breaks, and paid travel time. We saw consistent and regular records of staff supervision and team meetings.

A staff member told us, “I work in an environment that I feel well supported, frequent trainings are provided as well as refresher courses to ensure that our knowledge is up to date.” This meant people always experienced safe and effective care as the provider recognised the wellbeing needs of their staff.