Milford Del Support Agency

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 improved to Outstanding.

This meant people were truly respected and valued as individuals, treated with dignity and respect; and empowered as partners in their care in an exceptional service. People’s feedback described it as attentive and adaptive.

This service scored 100 (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.

We saw many examples where staff had gone above and beyond to provide compassionate care.

The service fully funded and provided support staff to enable people to go on a dream holiday which would not have been possible otherwise.

Where specialist equipment would improve people’s quality of life, staff supported them to raise money, and staff took part in fundraising in their own time. A person showed us how their equipment helped them in their everyday life.

Staff supported people with empathy when they were worried or feeling low and did all they could to help. One person was supported on an overnight stay to see their family, as the person was worried about their family. Following this, staff observed the person was back to their normal self. Staff went above expectations to care for people and their families, for example when a family member needed help, staff provided support to them straight away without hesitation.

All the people we spoke with were very positive about the kindness of the staff and how they made them feel. Comments included, “I like my staff, they are the best, I don’t know what I would do without them”, and “They are all really, really nice, patient, kind and calming”.

In feedback to the provider, people had rated staff as ‘excellent’ regarding ‘kindness’ and ‘protecting their dignity’.

The service treated people as individuals and focused on ensuring that people’s care and support met people’s needs and preferences. The leadership team took account of people’s strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

People told us the team taught life skills and enabled them to make choices and progress; one person said they have done things that they never thought was possible. People were supported to becoming more independent. For example, people who previously were unable to access the kitchen, were able to prepare meals and bake cakes. As a result, they were now able to choose when and what they wanted to eat.

Staff removed barriers that prevented people participating in activities they enjoyed due to environmental factors, for example, staff approached business owners of local attractions to plan for people to attend outside normal business hours. This had a positive impact on their wellbeing.

Staff thought of creative ways that enabled people to enjoy their hobbies, where their sensory needs prevented them from attending loud or busy environments. For example, people were supported to attend at quieter times or source similar alternatives. As a result, people continued to experience actives that were important to them.

The service was exceptional at promoting people’s independence, so people knew their rights and had choice and control over their own care and wellbeing.

The service supported a person’s relationship and ensured they had privacy by adapting their home and garden. One person told us, “It is amazing, I can spend time alone with [person] and see them whenever I want”.

A person who loved animals but became anxious when away from home, was encouraged to care for a dog and regularly took them on long walks. The person’s anxiety had decreased, and they were working towards owning their own dog.

The service employed a sexual safety expert who supported people to explore personal relationships and sexuality. We saw people were empowered to explore and develop personal relationships that benefited their emotional wellbeing. As a result, they were supported to have choice and control; and to make independent decisions about their wellbeing.

When staff identified that a group of people loved football, they worked with another agency to plan a tournament. This enabled people to develop strong relationships and networks with people who had a shared interest in something that was important to them.

The service was exceptional in how they 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 recognised when people’s communication skills were deteriorating and immediately sourced clinical support and specialist training. We saw examples of staff implementing creative methods to support people’s communication and enabled them to recognise their needs and wishes. This meant people were able to maintain positive relationships with staff and their families.

We observed staff enable people to effectively communicate, people’s skills had significantly improved in the last 12 months, this meant people’s frustrations and anxieties had decreased and we observed people were engaging with other people and staff. We saw people were smiling and laughing, singing and dancing and enjoying other activities where previously they were unable to do so.

We saw people’s wellbeing had improved significantly since the last inspection. Staff were able to effectively engage with people. The use of restraint was no longer needed. This was a significant improvement and had a positive impact, because previously people were subject to routine and frequent physical interventions.

The service supported a member of the public who approached them, they had a learning disability and could not verbally communicate and lived at home with their family. When the person told staff they felt lonely, staff met with the person and helped them set up a friendship group. The person told us, “ I have two friends [name and name] it makes me feel normal to have my own friends to have a friend is important that’s why I wanted to start the friendship club to help others [Nominated individual and registered manager] listened and now it’s going to be a real thing I am going to run it which will be so exciting I feel heard that I am making a difference, I have so much to give and [nominated individual] sees that and listens and then makes it happen”. We saw that staff were alert to people’s needs and took time to engage them in discussions about meeting these needs.

The provider, managers and staff were compassionate and caring towards each other, and we saw the provider had enhanced staff wellbeing.

Where staff were experiencing difficulties at work or in their personal lives, the provider supported them, to access a wide range of private medical practitioners, which provided timely appropriate support.

We received some positive feedback from staff, where they shared examples that demonstrated the provider had supported them. For example, a staff member told us, “I have worked in many care settings and I have not experienced this kind of care and support before, and for that I am very grateful.”

Special occasions were celebrated and staff received gifts. from the provider. Good practice and positive outcomes were recognised, and staff spoke highly of each other and the provider. We saw that people’s experience of the service was driven by a culture that normalised good wellbeing through inclusivity, active listening and open conversations. This enabled staff to do their job well and to be well.