Renai Support Services

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 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 treated people with kindness and respect. This was observed in the interactions between people and staff, and the feedback we received from relatives, staff and professionals. One relative commented, “They are almost like a second family. They are considerate. They care for her and put her best interests first. “Another relative described the support they had themselves received from the staff team when they had been struggling with personal issues, saying, “I can’t speak highly enough of the support I had from everybody.” An external professional commented, “They have such a caring and considerate team.”

People’s privacy and dignity was respected. Care and support were provided in private and consent sought before providing assistance. Staff said, “You would never do anything before discussing it with people… and we obviously always knock on their doors as that is their private space.”

The provider treated people as individuals and made sure peoples' care, support and treatment met peoples' needs and preferences. They took account of peoples' strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

Staff demonstrated a strong understanding of what mattered to each person and actively supported them to maintain their personal interests. Staffing arrangements were flexible to facilitate this. For example, some people had their own cars, which gave them independence and freedom with staff support. One younger person was supported to enjoy nights out at clubs; another was enabled to go on a weekend trip to attend a wedding in another part of the country. A relative told us their family member was, “in a ukelele band, goes to work in a café, belongs to a theatre group, does art, singing. Absolutely fantastic!”

People were supported to maintain important relationships with family, friends, and significant people in their lives. This was confirmed by all the relatives we spoke to, who talked about frequent contact with their family member, and the staff at the service.

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

There was a strong focus on promoting independence. People had autonomy over routines and lifestyle choices, such as attending clubs and community activities, planning menus, and preparing meals with housemates.

Staff told us, “On Sundays usually the guys are all at home as they are so busy [during the week]. We discuss the menus with them and what they want, and usually they all agree with each other. They are all very much involved in the preparation of the meals.” An external professional said, “I can confirm that the staff team listen and support choice for the people in their care. The adults who are supported at Renai Support Services have choice and control on where they would like to go.”

Those who wished to contributed weekly to shared household expenses, including a minibus. Any money left over was used for a social fund, for activities such as trips to shows, or the pantomime.

People could choose to be supported by a different care provider if they wished. This was the case for a person whose health had deteriorated, which meant they required specialist support. in addition to what was being provided.

The provider listened to and understood peoples' needs, views and wishes. Staff responded to peoples' needs in the moment and acted to minimise any discomfort, concern or distress.

Staff knew people very well. They demonstrated a good understanding of the people they supported and were attentive to their individual needs. This enabled them to recognise when someone required assistance or was feeling distressed and respond appropriately.

Some people were unable to verbalise their discomfort. Care plans included clear guidance to help staff recognise signs of pain, such as changes in behaviour or physical presentation. This ensured staff could respond promptly and provide appropriate pain relief.

During the assessment, one person became emotional while describing a traumatic incident from their past. Staff reacted immediately, offering comfort and reassurance in a sensitive and supportive manner.

Staff highlighted the importance of both verbal and non-verbal communication in meeting people’s needs. One member of staff explained: “Everybody who is here I can understand verbally and understand their needs. You learn as you go along. One person can occasionally spark, and you would warn any new staff to leave them if they did not want to talk. It may take longer to build that trust and let [the person] come to them.”

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

Staff reported feeling well supported and expressed how much they enjoyed working at the service. They valued the provider’s person-centred approach and described the positive culture within the team. Comments included, “It is really nice and very person-centred. I came from dementia care, and I really appreciate working here and the time for each individual you get” and “It is lovely working here. I came from retail…It’s all just a very good atmosphere. People come in and say they feel a happy vibe.”

The management team were highly involved and maintained a ‘hands on’ approach, regularly speaking with staff and covering shifts when needed. They explained they considered staff’s ‘whole life’, recognising how personal challenges could affect their ability to provide effective support. To help, they had arranged private counselling, funded private medical tests and even paid for house repairs. Staff told us, “I’ve had amazing support” and “I can’t fault them [the management team]. They are always available."