Archived: Nwando Domiciliary 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 service scored 70 (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 ensured people were treated with kindness, empathy, compassion and respected their privacy and dignity.

People and relatives spoken with were happy with the care and support provided. People told us staff were kind. Comments included, “They [staff] are very kind and polite, always asking how I am before they start providing care”, “I am very happy with the staff. A male member of staff treats my [family member] as though he is his own father, it’s his tone of voice, patience. They are very competent. During personal care, the member of staff is calm and gentle, talks with [family member], tells them what is happening, he does not rush” and “We have become friends. They [staff] treat me as a friend; they ask about my wellbeing. They chat with me, reassure me.”

People told us the care and support provided by staff was not rushed. A relative told us, “Sometimes when [staff] arrive, [family member] is still eating their breakfast but they don’t rush them.” People stated they had a good relationship with staff. A person using the service told us, “We have built a good rapport and have a good laugh.”

All people and relatives spoken with told us they were, or their family member was treated with respect and dignity. A relative told us their family member was a proud person and liked things to be undertaken in a particular manner. They said staff always ensured their family member was supported to maintain their personal appearance to ensure their self-esteem and sense of self-worth. Another person told us, “I felt I was treated in a respectful manner, and I was very happy with everything.”

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 life history, backgrounds and protected characteristics. This is important as this information can foster a person-centred approach to care, enhance communication between staff and the person being supported and promote the person’s wellbeing.

People’s protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010, such as age, disability, religion and race were identified as part of their need’s assessment where completed. Staff knew about people’s individual characteristics.

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

People who used the service confirmed staff encouraged their independence and supported them to be in control of the care they received; they told us staff were respectful of this.For example, people had access to appropriate equipment, such as walking frames to help maximise their mobility and to self-medicate their medicines where appropriate and safe. Where applicable, people were encouraged to retain their autonomy at mealtimes by eating independently or with minimal staff support. Staff confirmed that some people who were very reliant on them for activities of daily living, were actively encouraged to undertake some aspects of their personal care, such as washing their face and hands, brushing their teeth and dressing and undressing to maximise their independence and maintain some autonomy in their life.

The provider did not always listen to and understand people’s needs, views and wishes. Staff did not always respond to people’s needs in the moment. As already recorded within the main text of this report, several people and relatives told us theirs or their family member’s immediate needs were not always met due to the inconsistencies with staff visiting call times. When relatives were asked about improvements required at the domiciliary care service, staff’s time keeping was commonly referenced as a concern and frustration. Comments included, “I would recommend it [Nwando Domiciliary Care] to others but would let them know that timings can be an issue at times” and “I would recommend them [Nwando Domiciliary Care] but would warn people of the horrendous time keeping.”

The provider cared about and promoted the wellbeing of their staff to ensure staff well-being was supported and advocated.

The staff workforce at Nwando Domiciliary Care were diverse, including representations from a range of different cultures, ethnicities and religions. The provider confirmed appropriate arrangements were in place to recognise different multi-faith festivals and customs for staff, such as, religious observance, prayer times, fasting and supporting religious leave requests. The provider made sure their recruitment practices was accessible to all, adopting and supporting anti-discrimination and equal opportunities policies. The provider advised informal work placement adjustments were made for staff in relation to supporting staffs’ childcare arrangements. A member of staff told us, “When I needed to adjust my roster for family reasons, the office made it possible without any fuss.”

The provider offered staff a variety of initiatives and benefits to support their mental, physical and emotional health and wellbeing. For example, there were internal reward schemes for staff, such as, employee of the month and ‘ad-hoc’ appreciation events. A member of staff told us, “The service ensures staff wellbeing by allowing appropriate rest breaks and fair shift rotations. My workload is manageable, and if I ever need support, the office is approachable and flexible. They [management and office team] regularly check on us to make sure we’re coping well.”

Staff received equality and diversity training as part of their initial induction and ongoing development.