Home Instead Senior 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 meant people were supported and treated with dignity and respect; and involved as partners in their care.

This service scored 85 (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.

People and their relatives told us staff where kind and showed empathy. One relative told us “The carers are very friendly to talk to. They are very caring and show empathy to how [relative] is feeling each day. They are really close friends. They are also well trained and take a very professional approach.”

The registered manager and nominated individual demonstrated a clear passion about making the lives of the people they supported better and fulfilled. An example we saw of this was that the service sent out Christmas presents and cards to all of their service users as well as other special touches throughout the year. We saw evidence of the service supporting care staff to take people they supported out into the community.

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 strengths, abilities, aspirations, culture and unique backgrounds and protected characteristics.

One person told us that their preference was for staff to wear shoe coverings around their home and that the service obliged. A relative told us “There were many examples when the carers would stay by [relative’s] side when [relative] needed hospitalisation”.

There was a strong organisational commitment and effective action to ensure there was equality and inclusion for everybody. For example, there were preferred pronouns recorded within people’s files. People's care was planned with them, and they were fully involved in developing their care and support plans which ensured they were always treated as individuals. People told us these were regularly reviewed and updated where appropriate. We also saw evidence of regular reviews taking place.

Information was sought about people’s preferred routines and the ways in which their care would fit into their lives rather than their lives having to change because they now required care and support. This meant people’s care was delivered in a holistic and person-centred way.

We observed a wonderful example in which a staff member demonstrated a creative approach to person-centred care by producing bespoke artwork that reflected the individual life experiences and backgrounds of people using the service. With appropriate consent, they created unique pieces that reflected each person’s history and significant moments in their lives. These artworks captured cherished memories—such as special holidays, previous occupations like working as a switchboard operator, treasured pen pal connections, beloved pets, and the joy of raising children. The finished pieces were shared with both the individual and the wider service, creating a meaningful and personal way to honour and celebrate each person’s life story.

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

People’s independence and choice were promoted. Care plans included information about how to support people in a way that reflected their choices and promoted independence where possible. People had regular reviews on how they would like to be supported to ensure they had choice and control on the support given.

One person’s relative told us “The carers also take my relative for walks to promote her independence. They will also play games with her”.

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.

Staff were able to quickly recognise when people needed urgent help or support and acted accordingly. For example, we found evidence of staff and management escalating immediate concerns around people’s health and wellbeing to the appropriate place. Another example when on site, we witnessed a person who had fallen and was awaiting medical attention. The service ensured that there was a member of the team waiting with that person the whole duration.

The provider had enough staff working for the service and was able to provide the necessary time and attention when a person needed immediate support due to changes in their needs.

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

Staff knew who they were accountable to and understood their roles and responsibilities in ensuring people’s needs were met. They had access to a range of policies and procedures to guide them in their roles and ensured people were cared for safely.Staff told us they felt extremely well supported in their role and that the management team made themselves available and supported their well-being. Staff told us “Absolutely I feel supported. One of the best companies I have worked for. Always feel very supported and appreciated.”Staff told us their managers had a flexible approach and supported them to create a work pattern that met their individual needs as well as the needs of the company.

We saw multiple examples where the service had sent gifts to staff members that were going through a personal challenge in their lives or for special occasions. Management staff went out of their way to ensure care staff had face to face contact and support, out in the community or in the office. Multiple staff told us that they felt like a ‘family’ and that management really did care.

The registered manager and nominated individual demonstrated clear passion for supporting and developing staff in any way they could. Staff had access to regular training and could complete a NVQ qualification if they wanted to. Another staff member told us “It’s not just a job for me, it’s a love. This service is run like a family, rather than it feeling like a franchise, they just do not want to expand and expand. I just feel like one big family and its really nice.” The management team were also good at passing on feedback to staff from people who use the service. Staff told us this made them feel valued and appreciated.

People had confidence in the carers that visited them. A person told us “They are very punctual because I can check on my app. I feel they cover all the duties. I think the carers do have a good personality. They show attention to detail for my relatives declining health. My relative always feels relaxed with the carers present. They never rush to get away. They look confident and professional”.