Hillingdon

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.

People experienced kindness, compassion and dignity. People were cared for by the same regular staff. They had good relationships with staff. People told us their privacy was respected. People could request the gender of their care worker and if they had any language or cultural needs. Comments from people using the service and their relatives included, “I am very happy with my carers. They are my heroes”, “The agency has made a positive difference, and I am grateful for the care and kindness they show”, “Carers treat [person] with immense respect and dignity. They are like family” and “[Care worker] is wonderful. [They are] very gentle and give me plenty of time.”

The provider and individual staff supported people with kindness when they identified a need, even when this was not part of the agreed care package. For example, purchasing essential food and drink when people ran out and supporting families who had experienced bereavement.

People were treated as individuals. Staff celebrated their individuality, including supporting people with important dates, their culture and religion. Relatives explained they found it helpful when care workers from the same culture had been provided. Their comments included, “The agency has endeavoured to match [person] with a carer with the same language and culture” and “The regular carer speaks [the same language] and this ensures [person] feels safe through easy communication.”

People told us staff respected their homes, families and lifestyle. A person commented, “Staff understand the importance of [my religion]. When we had a recent celebration, they changed the time of the care visit to help me get ready.”

The registered manager gave us examples of times they worked with people to identify and meet specific needs. For example, a person who was anxious being cared for by younger staff was provided with mature care workers. They told us care workers knew people well and therefore they were able to identify when people’s needs changed. For example, staff advocated for a person who started to lose the ability to communicate through speech because they knew their wishes and preferences.

The provider supported people to have choice and control over their care. People told us staff always offered them choices and respected these. A person commented, “I am given a choice about how I should be supported. Carers respect me.”

Staff supported people to learn new skills and/or remain independent when this was their choice and safe for them. Staff explained how they ensured people did as much for themselves when possible and only intervened when needed.

The provider responded to people’s immediate needs. People and their relatives explained staff responded appropriately to falls and accidents. For example, calling emergency health services. Staff and people had access to on call phonelines and could contact managers in an emergency or if they needed help or advice.

The provider supported workforce wellbeing and enablement. Staff told us they felt well supported. They had regular opportunities to speak with and meet managers. Staff were acknowledged and rewarded for positive feedback from people and good work. Staff told us they were able to ask for additional training and opportunities for career progression. A staff member commented, “Managers and the whole team are dedicated, supportive and professional.”